Chapter 1: Sand Castles
(by Lady Ultima, added on 2005-11-06 06:19:18 AEST) [Discussion Topic]
A one-shot, dealing with what happens in Clow while Sakura and Syaoran are gone.
“Believe only in the future, even when it is made of sand castles.”
-Tsubasa Resevoir Chronicle, Chapitre 95
Sand Castles
It had been six months since Sakura had vanished. The damage inflicted on Clow by the mysterious black warriors had been all but cleaned up; only the sandstorms swirling so often around the ruins served as a physical reminder of the events. Of course, there were constant emotional reminders. The entire castle seemed empty without Sakura bounding around.
Touya sat in the Council Room of the castle, with Yukito on his left and various other councilors sitting around the circular table.
All the others sitting around the table kept shooting worried looks at Touya, clearly wondering whether the king was completely recovered from his wounds. Touya stiffened his jaw. It was really grating on his nerves to have everyone looking at him like that. He wouldn’t let himself say anything, because he didn’t trust himself not to lose his temper. And he most certainly did not want to come off as a petulant child. He would not act like a child, dammit. He was the king.
But he really, really would appreciate it if they’d all stop trying to coddle him. Well, maybe Yukito could keep coddling him and making sure that he was alright… After all, it was the only time Yukito actually touched him... But that train of thought was slightly dangerous. If he started thinking about Yukito… and Yukito touching him… he would lose his concentration. Yukito did that to him. Suddenly, he noticed that annoying priest/ess (nobody was quite sure) who worked directly under Yukito, Nakuru, winking at him, as if s/he knew that he’d been thinking about… Dammit. Nakuru had made it clear that s/he knew that Touya was in love with Yukito. That, however, had not stopped Nakuru from holding on to a completely disconcerting infatuation/fascination for Touya. Touya would have felt slightly guilty about not being able to return the feelings, if Nakuru hadn’t been so insistent and blatant. Especially in front of Yukito.
Anyways, the Council meeting was almost over, thank the gods. “So, is there any other business anybody needs to be addressed?”
One of the councilors cleared his throat. Touya stiffened a bit more and stifled a curse. Not only was there more business, but the one bring up the business was one of the most foolish men on the council. The man almost never knew what was truly important; he almost always wanted to drag out issues that were far from important, such as some tiny bylaw in the tax code that only bothered those with enough money to not actually have to worry about money. At least the man had the decency to wait to the end of the session this time, instead of taking up time they could have been using on truly vital discussions.
“Yes, Councilor Sare. You have the table.”
“Thank you, Highness.” Touya suddenly realized that the man actually looked slightly nervous. That might not be a good sign. “What I wanted to discuss was the subject of an heir, actually.”
Touya stiffened even more. “I have an heir,” was all he would trust himself to say.
“Well, yes, Your Highness. Your sister, Princess Sakura, is the official heir.” Touya, with satisfaction, noticed the man almost literally squirm under his gaze. Good. The pretentious fool deserved to suffer. “But… well. We all know High Priest Yukito’s prophecy. It is impossible to know when the Princess will return. It might be years, months, even decades.”
Touya’s eyes burned into the other man’s. “Or it might be tomorrow.”
“Yes, it might. But… she also might never return.”
Touya remained silent.
Sare took a deep breath before plunging on. “It would be prudent to consider marriage and having a child.” Still seeing no reaction from the king, Sare became even braver and added pompously, “It would be in the best interests of the country to see you settled down and starting a family.” He shot a glance at Yukito. “And in such affairs, it is best to follow one’s logic, rather than one’s emotions.”
Touya looked at him for several moments without speaking. Sare started to lose some of his self-confidence; his smile faltered a bit.
The young king finally spoke. “And what the hell would you know about emotions, you pretentious, self-important windbag?”
The Council gasped and muttered at the insult. Sare’s eyes widened. “Your Highness, I meant no harm. I meant- that is to say, I only-”
“I know exactly what you meant, Councilor. You’ve said quite enough. The Council is dismissed for the day.” Touya stood up, pushing his chair out behind him.
He stormed down the hallway, angry with Sare, with the situation, with fate for putting him in this situation, and with himself for acting like a child again. Almost the only part of his life that he wasn’t mad at was Yukito. After all, it wasn’t Yukito’s fault that he was a male. Besides, Touya was in love with every part of Yukito, which included the fact that Yukito was very, very much a male. He wouldn’t have his Yukito any other way, in all honesty… Touya pushed that thought back; it wasn’t the time for those sorts of images.
Touya made his way on to the balcony attached to his quarters. He stared moodily out at the desert. Far off in the distance, dark clouds stirred. It looked like another storm was coming. He tiredly closed his eyes, trying to rest himself. Perhaps he wasn’t as fully recovered as he’d like to think he was. Gods, he got tired so easily…
Now that he wasn’t being stared at by twenty people, all silently thinking about his not-so-secret secret love for the beautiful priest and wondering why, why in the name of the Goddess, they had to deal with a homosexual king on top of everything else, he had to admit that Sare had a legitimate point. It would have been better brought up in more of a private setting, and by someone who wasn’t Sare, but the question of an heir had to be addressed. Because, as much as he hated to admit it, there was the chance that Sakura would not return. And Touya had to consider the best interests of his country… And it was definitely not in Clow’s best interest to not have a present and healthy heir. It was asking for a civil war and factions to not have a clear line of succession. That was the last thing Clow needed, since they had barely recovered from the strange attack six months earlier.
Even so… he could handle the thought of Syaoran marrying Sakura easier than he could the thought of him marrying anyone besides Yukito, much less Yukito marrying anyone besides him. And he could hardly expect Yukito to never marry just because they couldn’t marry each other. And there were plenty of people out there who would willingly try to court the priest.
The two had finally admitted to each other that their feelings and desires for each other went far past the realm of platonic friendship during all their private time together while Touya had been healing after Sakura’s disappearance. Ever since then, they’d been ‘courting,’ in a manner of speaking; they weren’t spending more time together, since they had always spent an inordinate amount of time together, but now they were holding hands, kissing, even (for lack of a better word) cuddling. They’d yet to make an official commitment to each other, so they hadn’t made love, but they were certainly moving in that direction.
“To-ya.”
The young king turned around to face Yukito, who had silently come into his room and out onto the balcony. “Hey, Yuki.”
The priest smiled wearily. “Come on in, it’s getting cold out here. I have dinner for us inside.”
Touya moved silently inside, returning Yukito’s tired smile. The two sat down at a small circular table and began their meal, not feeling the need to speak often.
When they had finished the meal, and the conversation had reached yet another comfortable lull, Touya suddenly reached across the table and took Yukito’s hand in his own. He began slowly running his thumb back and forth along the side of Yukito’s hand. He looked directly into the priest’s eyes and softly spoke. “Yuki, this is what I want for the rest of my life. You and me, together like this.”
Yukito sighed. “I know, To-ya. But…”
“I know.”
There didn’t seem much else to say. Yukito didn’t trust himself enough to say anything; he refused to influence Touya in either direction. Touya had to decide this on his own. Touya didn’t trust himself enough to decide, because he would either break Yukito’s and his own heart or potentially put his country at risk. How could he possibly choose between the two?
Yukito suddenly sensed a spirit in the room with them. His eyes shot up, and he saw the spirit of the late King Clow standing about five feet away from the table. He was about to tell Touya that his father’s spirit had come to visit them when Touya spoke, looking directly at the spot where his father’s spirit stood.
“Father?”
Yukito glanced at Touya, confused, and Touya returned the look, just as puzzled. While Yukito and Sakura had the ability to see spirits from birth, Touya had never had the same ability. Why was he then able to see his father’s spirit now?
Clow smiled. “You both are wondering why Touya can see my spirit now when he has never seen spirits before.” At their nods, the late king continued. “Touya, as my son, has my magic in his blood. He has always had the potential for that ability, but the ability has remained buried to a great deal, most likely because he never had a need or desire for his powers. However, Yukito’s use of magic to heal Touya probably wakened Touya’s abilities to an extent, and the effect has only been exacerbated by the growing relationship between you two. After all, magic is part of a magician’s soul; it responds to the desires of the mage’s heart more than to anything else. When a mage gives his love to another person, the magic within the mage reaches out to the beloved, creating a magical link between the two. And Touya’s magic responded to the call of Yukito’s magic.”
Yukito blushed at Clow’s casual mention of his love for Touya. The young king noticed Yukito’s discomfort and squeezed his lover’s hand, smiling. Yukito returned a small smile before returning his attention to the late king.
“But the bond between you isn’t just a magical bond. The two of you are irreversibly tied by the red string of fate. I have seen it with my own eyes.”
Touya and Yukito were both dumbfounded by this revelation. Their eyes were wide with disbelief as they looked back and forth between each other and Clow.
“You had not seen this, Yukito?”
Yukito shook his head.
“I am not entirely surprised. Seers are often denied the power to see their own future. But you surely sense it now?”
Yukito closed his eyes. “Yes,” he whispered after a moment. “I see it.”
“Good. Now, you have a choice before you. That choice is what I want to speak of now.
“There is a saying in many worlds: ‘three things remain: faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love.’ It is the trinity that brings light, meaning, and beauty to our lives.
“You need each other, and not just to protect the country. With myself and your mother dead and Sakura gone, you both are all alone. You need each other’s love.
“The future is uncertain. Sakura may die. Syaoran and his allies may fail.
“But… You both should have faith. You should believe.
“Always believe only in the future, even when it is made of sand castles.
“And besides…”
Clow began to fade as he spoke his final words with a nostalgic smile on his face.
“Because it’s Sakura, everything will absolutely be alright.”
The two lovers watched Clow’s spirit fade away entirely, holding each other’s hands tightly.
The silence hung heavily in the room as they looked at each other.
“Yuki… Father’s right.”
“Yes. We should believe. Even in sand castles.”
Touya chuckled. “Only Father would think to say something like that.”
“Yes. Only His Majesty would.”
Yukito rose from his chair and drew Touya up after him. They moved slowly into an embrace.
“I guess we can consider ourselves engaged now, can’t we?”
“I suppose, yes.”
“Well, then, do you suppose it would be acceptable for me to make love to my future husband?” Touya whispered in Yukito’s ear.
Yukito’s eyes twinkled as he blushed and whispered back, “Actually, I was wondering if it would be acceptable for me to make love to my future husband.”
“Both options sound very enticing, actually.”
The next morning, Yukito slowly woke, wrapped in Touya’s arms. He remembered and reveled in the previous night’s events. Their love-making had been awkward, since neither were experienced with sex, but it had been incredible because… well, because it was with To-ya. That was what mattered. The rest would come later.
He opened his eyes to see his lover and fiancé smiling and awake.
“Good morning, Yuki.”
“Good morning.”
Touya climbed out of bed, drawying Yukito up also.
“Come here, I have something for you.”
Yukito allowed himself to be led into the large dressing room just off the bedroom. Touya opened a drawer and lifted out a beautiful wooden box. He set in down on the dressing table and opened it. Inside was the simple silver coronet of the Royal Consort- the coronet that Touya’s mother had worn.
Yukito’s breath caught in his chest as Touya lifted the coronet out of the box and placed in on Yukito’s head.
“I just wanted to see you in it.”
“Oh, To-ya…”
Touya gestured towards the mirror over the table. “Go on, look at yourself.”
Yukito turned and gazed into the mirror. There he stood, his pale naked body reflecting the light, with the beautiful coronet resting in his grey hair.
Touya came up behind Yukito and wrapped his arms around the priest’s waist, resting his chin on Yukito’s shoulder.
“To-ya…Thank you.”
“No, thank you.” They were silent, simply holding each other for a moment.
“Do you want to wear it in public?”
Yukito blinked. Then a smile slowly spread across his face. “Yes, I’d love to.”
The news quickly spread around Clow that the king and priest were engaged- that the priest was actually wearing the Consort’s Coronet! It hadn’t even been seen since Touya’s mother had died so long ago. The new of the upcoming marriage brought hope to the people. It showed that the king was hopeful. If the king were hopeful, then certainly the future would be alright. Marriages were always a good, hopefully sign. They always boded well.
The newfound optimism enveloped the country. The people worried a bit less about whether Sakura were alive, or about the fact that there was no clear heir to the throne.
Somehow, it absolutely would be alright.
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