Fic: Snow Beneath the Moon, for aoife_hime.
I'm sneaking in under the deadline, but to make up for the lateness, it's about twice as long as it was supposed to be. Fair trade? Happy New Year, anyhow.
Snow Beneath the Moon
Written for aoife_hime for the Secret Santa Fic Exchange.
Rating: PG.
Word Count: 1108 words.
Summary: A bunch of random snow sculptures appearing around Tomoeda and Yue being responsible for them (though he won't admit it). Possibly with less random and slightly more admitting (although only when confronted). Also near-toxic levels of fluff. Uh, sorry about that if Touya/Yukito isn't your thing.
The first sculpture appeared outside the ice rink, so Sakura didn’t even hear about it. Most people assumed that the rink had gotten it made as an advertisement of sorts, since it was a snow sculpture. They all agreed that something a trifle less modern might have been better. They couldn’t even tell exactly what it was supposed to be-some kind of fish?
The second sculpture was much more traditional. It appeared on the steps of the clock tower, where for some reason nobody tripped over it: an old man, cloaked and hooded, holding an hourglass on his knee. “It’s Father Time,” people said. Tomoyo took a picture of it for the local newspaper, which was by this time more than willing to accept her pictures, even though she was not quite fourteen yet.
The third sculpture was on the roof of the elementary school. The children who found it called their friends, who told their parents, who finally began to wonder where such wonderfully detailed snow sculptures were coming from. It would have taken a professional artist to add such a level of detail as was evident in the fairylike girl on the roof, and no professional sculptors lived in the area.
After people started noticing, more and more sculptures began appearing: outside the aquarium, a vicious-looking mermaid; in the zoo, an elfin little girl; at the amusement park, an androgynous figure around whom white flames leapt; perched on the gate of Tsukimine Shrine, a tiny pixie; under the window of Twin Bells, a replica of a stuffed animal like none in the store; on the bridge, a girl in the stance of a martial artist; at the edge of the woods, another girl holding a mirror and smiling sadly; once again on the roof of Tomoeda Elementary, a dancing girl with curly hair; a giant Moebius band curving around a crossroads near the school; outside the art museum, a statuesque woman holding a finger to her lips; a bird rearing its head over the street; and more.
* * *
“Kero, do you know who’s making statues of the Cards?” Sakura asked, worrying her lower lip. “I know it can’t be Snow, but who else would be able to?”
“Someone with strong magic can do a lot of stuff the Cards can do,” Kero replied.
“But there isn’t anyone but us with that much magic around here!”
“Could be someone you don’t know about yet.” While Sakura was not reassured by the idea of someone with strong magic she didn’t know about, Kero just smiled and said there wasn’t anything to worry about.
“It’s probably nothing, but I’m worried,” she confided to Tomoyo. “And I think Kero-chan knows what’s going on, but he won’t tell me.”
Tomoyo smiled. “Maybe you’re thinking a little harder than necessary, Sakura-chan.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, when you think very hard about something, sometimes you subconsciously force your brain into following a certain pattern, when the real solution is much simpler and more obvious.”
Sakura looked suspiciously at her friend. “Tomoyo-chan, do you know who’s making the sculptures?”
“I think I might. If so, it’s meant to be a surprise. Don’t worry about it, Sakura-chan. I promise I only keep harmless secrets from you.”
With this Sakura had to be content, and since nothing bad was happening as a result of the sculptures, she let it go at that and focused on finding the best Christmas presents for her family and friends.
Two days before Christmas, Sakura looked out her window to find a sculpture of Kero on the sill, curled up just like the real one. Still, the snow Kero was somehow a parody of the real one, from slightly exaggerated ears to the impossibly fluffy tuft of his tale. Even Kero himself laughed, when he finished being dramatically offended.
“That means Yue is the only one missing,” she said to her brother when he stopped by, as he usually did, for dinner, unusually without Yukito.
He smiled a little, secretively. “By the way, Sakura, can I have a favor?”
“What kind of favor?”
“The kind where little monsters ask their friend Snow to give their wonderful big brother a hand and kindly don’t ask any more?”
“I’m still not a monster…”
“I know, Sakura.”
* * *
“Yuki!”
“You still aren’t allowed in! I haven’t wrapped your present yet!”
“Just come out here for a moment, okay? I want to show you something.”
Yukito came out of the bedroom, a few scraps of wrapping paper still clinging to him. “What is-ohhh.”
In the center of the front garden was another snow statue. In this one, two men stood back to back, half melted together so that the backs of their heads, their shoulders, their arms, their hips, and their feet were joined and mixed together. It was impossible to tell whose were the great white wings arching over their heads, but it did not seem to matter. Both of them were smiling, and, despite the difference
Yukito grinned. “To-ya, it’s beautiful.”
“Somehow, I didn’t think you were planning to make one of yourself.”
“Now, what makes you think I had anything to do with the Mystery of the Miraculous Statues?”
“You don’t usually have such cold hands and feet in the morning. Besides, the Plushie doesn’t have the patience.”
Yukito laughed; inside him, Yue laughed as well. “I suppose he doesn’t. Does Sakura-chan know yet?”
Touya looked at his watch. “She’s probably figuring it out right…now.” (Several streets away, Sakura dropped the scissors and exclaimed, “Yue-san!”)
“I was-we were-remembering, I suppose. He was reminding me, or I was reminding myself, how it began.” Yukito tilted his head up at Touya with a glimmer of laughter in his eyes. “It sounds complicated, doesn’t it?”
“Maybe it’s a good thing we can’t tell everyone; nobody would understand us if we did.” Touya replied, holding Yukito close.
“How did you make this?” He waved at the statue. “I was Yue when I made the others, so I had the magic to help me, but this is…!”
“I asked for a favor. Yue, if Snow ever asks for help, give her a hand, okay? She put it together. It’s mostly her work, really.”
“But you designed it.”
“Yeah. I figured you should get at least one chance to see yourself the way I see you.”
Yukito looked at the statue, two people who were one inextricably, without one being greater than the other, gaining rather than losing by the duality, and his eyes misted over. “Thank you, To-ya.”
Touya’s breath was warm on his hair. “Merry Christmas, Yuki.”
Snow Beneath the Moon
Written for aoife_hime for the Secret Santa Fic Exchange.
Rating: PG.
Word Count: 1108 words.
Summary: A bunch of random snow sculptures appearing around Tomoeda and Yue being responsible for them (though he won't admit it). Possibly with less random and slightly more admitting (although only when confronted). Also near-toxic levels of fluff. Uh, sorry about that if Touya/Yukito isn't your thing.
The first sculpture appeared outside the ice rink, so Sakura didn’t even hear about it. Most people assumed that the rink had gotten it made as an advertisement of sorts, since it was a snow sculpture. They all agreed that something a trifle less modern might have been better. They couldn’t even tell exactly what it was supposed to be-some kind of fish?
The second sculpture was much more traditional. It appeared on the steps of the clock tower, where for some reason nobody tripped over it: an old man, cloaked and hooded, holding an hourglass on his knee. “It’s Father Time,” people said. Tomoyo took a picture of it for the local newspaper, which was by this time more than willing to accept her pictures, even though she was not quite fourteen yet.
The third sculpture was on the roof of the elementary school. The children who found it called their friends, who told their parents, who finally began to wonder where such wonderfully detailed snow sculptures were coming from. It would have taken a professional artist to add such a level of detail as was evident in the fairylike girl on the roof, and no professional sculptors lived in the area.
After people started noticing, more and more sculptures began appearing: outside the aquarium, a vicious-looking mermaid; in the zoo, an elfin little girl; at the amusement park, an androgynous figure around whom white flames leapt; perched on the gate of Tsukimine Shrine, a tiny pixie; under the window of Twin Bells, a replica of a stuffed animal like none in the store; on the bridge, a girl in the stance of a martial artist; at the edge of the woods, another girl holding a mirror and smiling sadly; once again on the roof of Tomoeda Elementary, a dancing girl with curly hair; a giant Moebius band curving around a crossroads near the school; outside the art museum, a statuesque woman holding a finger to her lips; a bird rearing its head over the street; and more.
* * *
“Kero, do you know who’s making statues of the Cards?” Sakura asked, worrying her lower lip. “I know it can’t be Snow, but who else would be able to?”
“Someone with strong magic can do a lot of stuff the Cards can do,” Kero replied.
“But there isn’t anyone but us with that much magic around here!”
“Could be someone you don’t know about yet.” While Sakura was not reassured by the idea of someone with strong magic she didn’t know about, Kero just smiled and said there wasn’t anything to worry about.
“It’s probably nothing, but I’m worried,” she confided to Tomoyo. “And I think Kero-chan knows what’s going on, but he won’t tell me.”
Tomoyo smiled. “Maybe you’re thinking a little harder than necessary, Sakura-chan.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, when you think very hard about something, sometimes you subconsciously force your brain into following a certain pattern, when the real solution is much simpler and more obvious.”
Sakura looked suspiciously at her friend. “Tomoyo-chan, do you know who’s making the sculptures?”
“I think I might. If so, it’s meant to be a surprise. Don’t worry about it, Sakura-chan. I promise I only keep harmless secrets from you.”
With this Sakura had to be content, and since nothing bad was happening as a result of the sculptures, she let it go at that and focused on finding the best Christmas presents for her family and friends.
Two days before Christmas, Sakura looked out her window to find a sculpture of Kero on the sill, curled up just like the real one. Still, the snow Kero was somehow a parody of the real one, from slightly exaggerated ears to the impossibly fluffy tuft of his tale. Even Kero himself laughed, when he finished being dramatically offended.
“That means Yue is the only one missing,” she said to her brother when he stopped by, as he usually did, for dinner, unusually without Yukito.
He smiled a little, secretively. “By the way, Sakura, can I have a favor?”
“What kind of favor?”
“The kind where little monsters ask their friend Snow to give their wonderful big brother a hand and kindly don’t ask any more?”
“I’m still not a monster…”
“I know, Sakura.”
* * *
“Yuki!”
“You still aren’t allowed in! I haven’t wrapped your present yet!”
“Just come out here for a moment, okay? I want to show you something.”
Yukito came out of the bedroom, a few scraps of wrapping paper still clinging to him. “What is-ohhh.”
In the center of the front garden was another snow statue. In this one, two men stood back to back, half melted together so that the backs of their heads, their shoulders, their arms, their hips, and their feet were joined and mixed together. It was impossible to tell whose were the great white wings arching over their heads, but it did not seem to matter. Both of them were smiling, and, despite the difference
Yukito grinned. “To-ya, it’s beautiful.”
“Somehow, I didn’t think you were planning to make one of yourself.”
“Now, what makes you think I had anything to do with the Mystery of the Miraculous Statues?”
“You don’t usually have such cold hands and feet in the morning. Besides, the Plushie doesn’t have the patience.”
Yukito laughed; inside him, Yue laughed as well. “I suppose he doesn’t. Does Sakura-chan know yet?”
Touya looked at his watch. “She’s probably figuring it out right…now.” (Several streets away, Sakura dropped the scissors and exclaimed, “Yue-san!”)
“I was-we were-remembering, I suppose. He was reminding me, or I was reminding myself, how it began.” Yukito tilted his head up at Touya with a glimmer of laughter in his eyes. “It sounds complicated, doesn’t it?”
“Maybe it’s a good thing we can’t tell everyone; nobody would understand us if we did.” Touya replied, holding Yukito close.
“How did you make this?” He waved at the statue. “I was Yue when I made the others, so I had the magic to help me, but this is…!”
“I asked for a favor. Yue, if Snow ever asks for help, give her a hand, okay? She put it together. It’s mostly her work, really.”
“But you designed it.”
“Yeah. I figured you should get at least one chance to see yourself the way I see you.”
Yukito looked at the statue, two people who were one inextricably, without one being greater than the other, gaining rather than losing by the duality, and his eyes misted over. “Thank you, To-ya.”
Touya’s breath was warm on his hair. “Merry Christmas, Yuki.”