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genetics2008-02-28 08:11 pm
papered.livejournal.com) wrote in genetics2008-02-28 08:11 pm
Cardcaptor Sakura: A Time For Goodbyes
Title: A Time For Goodbyes
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
papered
Fandom: Cardcaptor Sakura
Characters/Pairing: Yue, Touya/Yukito, Touya/Yue
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1120
Summary: Yue would never regret the time they'd spent together, but for Touya's sake, he has to leave.
Notes: For the![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
31_days Feb 28th prompt: "Time doth run with calm and quiet foot."
Yue had never been very aware of the passage of time. He'd known on an abstract level that the clock ticked with the passing of every second, just as he'd known that with each tick, the rest of the world grew one moment older, and yet Yue himself had never truly experienced it. When Clow had been alive, Yue's contact with people had been limited to Keroberos and the magician himself, and with two of them being immortal and the third seemingly so, the concept that so concerned the rest of the world had bypassed them altogether.
Up until Clow's death. That was partly why he’d reacted so violently, because somewhere along the way, Yue had fooled himself into thinking that his former master too had been immortal. But for those final moments of Clow's life, what had been the constants of his existence had come crashing down, and Yue had experienced time, a suddenly-dreaded stranger, like he'd never before.
And then, before he could try to process or understand anything, both he and Keroberos had been locked away into that book, and the passage of time had become meaningless once again.
Until Touya.
The cards had been captured, changed into Sakura cards, and then somewhere along the way, without his noticing, Touya had become a permanent fixture in his life. Yue had always been conscious, to some level, of the relationship between Yukito and Touya, but what he hadn’t expected was for himself to be affected as well. Just like with the moon, there had been a magnetic pull, as if the forces of nature had somehow conspired to throw them together.
Yue had fought at first, knowing that without any magic left, Touya would barely last a century, and he would just be setting himself up for a fall. But even he was unable to fight against both Touya's determination and Yukito's instincts. Within his false memories, Touya had been all Yukito had ever known to be real. And because of it, his other form had welcomed the pull, and with someone who was so much a part of himself irrevocably attached, Yue hadn't stood a chance.
And so he'd given in, allowed himself to become wrapped up in the human who'd managed to strip away his shields like a hurricane tearing through a city —
— and he was paying for it now. Now, Yue was acutely aware of each passing moment, and he wondered how he'd remained ignorant for so long. Every tick of the second hand ached like the pulse of blood behind a bruise, unending and always present.
The first years with Touya had been glorious. Stealing kisses under the cherry blossoms, moving out into their own apartment. There had been a fresh newness to everything, a hidden promise to every glance. The days had been relaxed, seemingly unending, and in the comfort of finally having someone who knew about and accepted every part of him, Yue had let his guard down. He'd left himself believe that things would be okay, and that it would all work out for the best.
What a fool he'd been.
In those years, Yue had allowed himself the comfort of allowing the days to wash over him again - but Touya hadn't had that luxury. Time passed, and where Touya had grown older, he himself had stayed as youthful as ever, features containing no hint of wrinkles or aging.
They'd moved out of Tomoeda into Tokyo, hoping to escape the whispers that followed them, but to no avail. Their apparent age difference raised eyebrows, and disapproving stares followed them as the gap only appeared larger year by year.
And Yue knew that as much as he denied it, Touya was tired – tired, and far from happy. At thirty-five, his mistress' brother wasn't a young man anymore, but he himself could have passed for seventeen. And it wasn’t he, but Touya who was looked down upon, scorned by neighbours and co-workers alike for taking a lover who was barely half his age. It was Touya who had to deal with the expectations and persecutions of society. He could always feel Yukito's tears and despair bubbling under the surface, and all Yue could do was blame himself. Why couldn't he have been stronger, more insistent all those years ago? Deep down, he'd known all along that this day would come.
There was only one solution to this. He had no other choice.
One night, when the sky was dark and the stars were just barely visible next to the brilliance of the moon, Yue quietly transformed, taking control and replacing Yukito's body with his own. He knew that his other form could feel his movements and realized what Yue was about to do, but no protests came.
To Yue, Yukito’s silence only cemented his resolve. This really was the only way.
Quietly untangling himself from Touya, he rose, silent as a cat. The dark haired man stirred but did not wake, and the moonlight streaming through the edge of the curtains only served to emphasize those sharp but handsome features that Yue had come to know so well. Walking to the door, he turned to look one final time at Touya, the one man who'd managed to make him care in a way he hadn't since Clow had died. But while he'd been helpless in Clow's passing, he would not be the passive observer this time.
He'd been selfish. But not anymore. Because Touya deserved better than what Yukito and himself could offer.
He left the room, taking one last lingering look at the modest apartment that held the memories of the life he and Touya had made together. On the table was a photo of the two of them together, from when they'd still been in high school. They'd been so carefree back then, so certain in their future. The Yukito in the photo had a smile on his face, while Touya looked as disgruntled and unapproachable as ever.
Pulling open the large window by the kitchen, Yue silently climbed onto the sill. Momentarily closing his eyes, he took a deep breath before spreading his wings and taking off. Without a backward glance, he flew in the direction of his namesake, and wished that he would never have to stop.
When Touya woke the next morning, he would find the bed cold and himself alone. Walking into the living room, the window would still be open, the curtains flung aside hazardly by the wind.
And if he looked, he would find a piece of paper on the kitchen counter, blank with the exception of two words that were written in an elegant script he’d come to know so well.
We're sorry.
+ Feedback would be greatly appreciated.
+ Like what you've read? Please friend!
Author:
paperedFandom: Cardcaptor Sakura
Characters/Pairing: Yue, Touya/Yukito, Touya/Yue
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1120
Summary: Yue would never regret the time they'd spent together, but for Touya's sake, he has to leave.
Notes: For the
31_days Feb 28th prompt: "Time doth run with calm and quiet foot."Yue had never been very aware of the passage of time. He'd known on an abstract level that the clock ticked with the passing of every second, just as he'd known that with each tick, the rest of the world grew one moment older, and yet Yue himself had never truly experienced it. When Clow had been alive, Yue's contact with people had been limited to Keroberos and the magician himself, and with two of them being immortal and the third seemingly so, the concept that so concerned the rest of the world had bypassed them altogether.
Up until Clow's death. That was partly why he’d reacted so violently, because somewhere along the way, Yue had fooled himself into thinking that his former master too had been immortal. But for those final moments of Clow's life, what had been the constants of his existence had come crashing down, and Yue had experienced time, a suddenly-dreaded stranger, like he'd never before.
And then, before he could try to process or understand anything, both he and Keroberos had been locked away into that book, and the passage of time had become meaningless once again.
Until Touya.
The cards had been captured, changed into Sakura cards, and then somewhere along the way, without his noticing, Touya had become a permanent fixture in his life. Yue had always been conscious, to some level, of the relationship between Yukito and Touya, but what he hadn’t expected was for himself to be affected as well. Just like with the moon, there had been a magnetic pull, as if the forces of nature had somehow conspired to throw them together.
Yue had fought at first, knowing that without any magic left, Touya would barely last a century, and he would just be setting himself up for a fall. But even he was unable to fight against both Touya's determination and Yukito's instincts. Within his false memories, Touya had been all Yukito had ever known to be real. And because of it, his other form had welcomed the pull, and with someone who was so much a part of himself irrevocably attached, Yue hadn't stood a chance.
And so he'd given in, allowed himself to become wrapped up in the human who'd managed to strip away his shields like a hurricane tearing through a city —
— and he was paying for it now. Now, Yue was acutely aware of each passing moment, and he wondered how he'd remained ignorant for so long. Every tick of the second hand ached like the pulse of blood behind a bruise, unending and always present.
The first years with Touya had been glorious. Stealing kisses under the cherry blossoms, moving out into their own apartment. There had been a fresh newness to everything, a hidden promise to every glance. The days had been relaxed, seemingly unending, and in the comfort of finally having someone who knew about and accepted every part of him, Yue had let his guard down. He'd left himself believe that things would be okay, and that it would all work out for the best.
What a fool he'd been.
In those years, Yue had allowed himself the comfort of allowing the days to wash over him again - but Touya hadn't had that luxury. Time passed, and where Touya had grown older, he himself had stayed as youthful as ever, features containing no hint of wrinkles or aging.
They'd moved out of Tomoeda into Tokyo, hoping to escape the whispers that followed them, but to no avail. Their apparent age difference raised eyebrows, and disapproving stares followed them as the gap only appeared larger year by year.
And Yue knew that as much as he denied it, Touya was tired – tired, and far from happy. At thirty-five, his mistress' brother wasn't a young man anymore, but he himself could have passed for seventeen. And it wasn’t he, but Touya who was looked down upon, scorned by neighbours and co-workers alike for taking a lover who was barely half his age. It was Touya who had to deal with the expectations and persecutions of society. He could always feel Yukito's tears and despair bubbling under the surface, and all Yue could do was blame himself. Why couldn't he have been stronger, more insistent all those years ago? Deep down, he'd known all along that this day would come.
There was only one solution to this. He had no other choice.
One night, when the sky was dark and the stars were just barely visible next to the brilliance of the moon, Yue quietly transformed, taking control and replacing Yukito's body with his own. He knew that his other form could feel his movements and realized what Yue was about to do, but no protests came.
To Yue, Yukito’s silence only cemented his resolve. This really was the only way.
Quietly untangling himself from Touya, he rose, silent as a cat. The dark haired man stirred but did not wake, and the moonlight streaming through the edge of the curtains only served to emphasize those sharp but handsome features that Yue had come to know so well. Walking to the door, he turned to look one final time at Touya, the one man who'd managed to make him care in a way he hadn't since Clow had died. But while he'd been helpless in Clow's passing, he would not be the passive observer this time.
He'd been selfish. But not anymore. Because Touya deserved better than what Yukito and himself could offer.
He left the room, taking one last lingering look at the modest apartment that held the memories of the life he and Touya had made together. On the table was a photo of the two of them together, from when they'd still been in high school. They'd been so carefree back then, so certain in their future. The Yukito in the photo had a smile on his face, while Touya looked as disgruntled and unapproachable as ever.
Pulling open the large window by the kitchen, Yue silently climbed onto the sill. Momentarily closing his eyes, he took a deep breath before spreading his wings and taking off. Without a backward glance, he flew in the direction of his namesake, and wished that he would never have to stop.
When Touya woke the next morning, he would find the bed cold and himself alone. Walking into the living room, the window would still be open, the curtains flung aside hazardly by the wind.
And if he looked, he would find a piece of paper on the kitchen counter, blank with the exception of two words that were written in an elegant script he’d come to know so well.
We're sorry.
+ Feedback would be greatly appreciated.
+ Like what you've read? Please friend!
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So angsty!!
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♥!
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Thanks for reading and for taking the time to comment! ♥
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Sometimes we really hurt the ones we love.
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I love angsty fics too much for my own good. *-*
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But, it's very well done. I like the concept a lot. I'd honestly never even thought about Touya's aging and the perceptions of others until now.
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Thanks for reading, and for taking the time to comment!
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That last line just about killed me.
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it makes me sad, thinking about how two people who so deserve to be together, could not, because of stupid society and their view of what is right and what isn't.
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Thanks for reading and for taking the time to comment! :)
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... I actually didn't think of Yukito/Yue not aging... Damn, it made me cry, because it seems really possible... T^T
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Of course, something like this would happen once they see how different they were made of. Although it's so sad and angsty, I still like the fic.
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