Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ My Best Guarded Secret ❯ Chapter 8 ( Chapter 8 )

Chapter 8.

"How was you guys first week of school?"

Sonomi Daidouji asked, taking a bite out of her steak. It was Friday night and the family was sitting together, enjoying their dinner. It was very rare that they got a chance to get together like this. Sonomi was rarely present because of her duties at the hospital, and Yue almost always skipped, using homework as an excuse.

"It was good."

Yukito answered, through a mouthful of steak and mashed potatoes. Tomoyo gave him a disgusted look, for he was seated right across from her. Yue just shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and went back to picking at his food. Tomoyo placed her fork on the plate and turned excitedly towards her mother.

"My week was excellent. The very first day, I made a lot of friends. And the classes have been great too. We didn't have any trouble catching up to the materials, right guys?"

Tomoyo looked towards her brother for affirmation. Yue gave her a small smile and nodded his head. Yukito swallowed his bite and looked up at her.

"Speak for yourself. I'm dying out there." He said glumly, sipping at his glass of water. Sonomi raised an eyebrow at him.

"Why? What's the matter?" she asked, concern evident in her tone. Yukito heaved a sigh.

"Well, you know what an 'expert' I am at math. That subject is giving me the most trouble." Yukito looked over at Yue. "And that jerk-face over there won't even help me out. He's always shutting his door on my face and tells me to leave him alone."

Yue looked at him defiantly.

"I have good reason. Your thick-headed brain doesn't pick up on things very quickly. I have better things to do with my time then to spend hours trying to tutor you in a simple subject."

Tomoyo gave a loud laugh, while Yukito flicked a few peas at him from his plate. Sonomi hid her smile behind her glass of wine.

"Yue, that's not nice." Sonomi reprimanded her son, her voice full of mirth. Yue again shrugged his shoulders. Yukito stuck his tongue out at him.

"I don't know what to do." He wailed and then brightened all of a sudden. He turned towards his mother. "Hey Mom, why don't you help me out? I mean you're sort of good with math. Do you think you could help?"

Sonomi sweat-dropped slightly.

"Well gee son, thanks for your belief in my math skills."

Yukito gave her a huge smile.

"But unfortunately, I can't help you out."

Yukito slumped down in his seat and frowned. Sonomi patted his head.

"You know how tough my job is honey. I get called in whenever they need me. I barely have time to relax at home. I hope you understand." Sonomi said in a pleading tone, pinning him down with her gaze.

Yukito gave her a small smile.

"Yeah. I know. It's o.k Mom, don't sweat it. It was a long shot anyway."

Sonomi smiled back at him. Her eyes then widened with comprehension.

"Hey, why don't you ask one of your classmates to help you?" she suggested.

Yukito scrunched up his eyes.

"I don't really know anybody that well yet. But I'll give it a try. They have tutoring session at school I could go to one of them."

Sonomi nodded her head. She then looked at her watch.

"O.K guys, I'm gonna hit the bed. There is a case I've been meaning to study so I'll see you all in the morning. Good night."

She pushed her chair back and stood up.

"Night Mom."

All three of her children called out after her. When she disappeared up the stairs, Tomoyo turned to her brothers.

"All right, whose turn is it to clean-up today?"

"Not me. I did the cleaning yesterday." Yukito immediately held up his hands.

Yue rolled his eyes and got up to put the dishes away. It was his turn to clean up tonight. Tomoyo looked over at Yukito who was looking down at the table cloth and chewing on a bread stick.

"Hey big bro." Tomoyo called him softly. "Are you really having trouble with your math class?'

Yukito looked up at her concerned face. He nodded his head solemnly.

"Yeah. And there's a test coming up in two weeks. I have no idea how I'm ever going to pass it." He said glumly.

Tomoyo reached out and grabbed his hand.

"Hey, why don't I ask Kero to get someone to help you? He knows everyone at school and I'm sure he'll hook you up."

Yukito looked at her for a few moments. He then leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

"Did I ever tell you that you're my most favorite sister in the whole wide world."

Tomoyo's face broke out in a dazzling smile. She swatted at him playfully.

"You're only sister in the whole wide world." She repeated the answer she had always given him. The sound of telephone ringing arose from somewhere in the house.

Yukito got up and ruffled Tomoyo's hair.

"I really appreciate you doing that, you know." He said in a serious tone. Tomoyo beamed up at him.

"Hey, that's what sisters are for."

Yukito smiled widely at her.

"Hey Tomoyo." Yue called out. "You've got a phone call."

Tomoyo got up to answer as Yukito made his way up the stairs to his room.

Tomoyo went into the kitchen, from where Yue had called out. She found him, wearing an apron, one of his hands in a large yellow plastic glove. His other hand, which was free of the glove, was holding the cordless phone. His hair were gathered up on top of his head, and a few soap suds clung to his cheeks. He handed the phone over to Tomoyo, who smiled at his appearance.

Cradling the phone to her ears, Tomoyo went into the living room.

"Hello."

"Hey Tomoyo. It's me Sakura."

Tomoyo immediately brightened.

"Hey Sakura, what's up."

"Nothing much. Hey Tomoyo, I called to ask you if you were busy tomorrow?"

Tomoyo thought for a moment. Except for a few chores around the house, her day was pretty much empty.

"Nope, I don't have any plans." She answered.

"Oh Yay!!"

Tomoyo had to move the phone away from her ears, at the sound of the excited yell. She shook her head and laughed. She then pressed the phone back to her ears.

"That's good." Sakura was saying. "You can come and hang with us tomorrow. The gang likes to get together on Saturday and we go over the whole week together. You know, talk about our classes, share gossip that we missed." Sakura and Tomoyo shared a laugh. "And we basically spend the day together. So what do you say, you in?"

Tomoyo couldn't have been happier.

"Of course I'm in."

Sakura gave another whoop of joy.

"Where do you guys meet?" Tomoyo inquired.

"Oh, you know that café down the block from our school. That's our meeting point. We then take it from there."

"All right then. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah. And don't forget to bring Yue and Yukito too."

Promising to meet each other tomorrow, both girls hung up.

Now, to ask her brothers to go with her. She went into the kitchen where Yue was wiping down the counter. He had already put all the dishes away. Yukito was there too, with his head buried in the fridge. Yue looked up at her when she entered.

"That was Sakura on the phone. She was asking me if I wanted to hang out with her tomorrow." She told them. Yukito emerged from the fridge with a huge piece of pie in his hands.

"O.K so, what's the problem? Go. Have fun."

Yukito said as he placed the plate on the table, and went on hunt for a fork.

"You'll have to drive me. The place where they get together is by the school." Tomoyo explained. "And besides, she invited both of you too."

Yukito shook his head.

"Sorry, no can do, sis. I've joined the gym and I gotta go there tomorrow. I've been long overdue for an exercise session and that's going to take time."

Tomoyo sighed and hung her head. She jutted out her lower lip a bit and didn't say a word.

Yukito and Yue exchanged a look.

"Fine, I'll take you." Yue offered.

Tomoyo immediately perked up and smiled widely at him.

"Cool." She yelled out and hugged Yue around the waist. Yukito smiled at the both of them.

"That's nice. Everything worked out, and I don't even have to feel guilty."

"Oh yeah." Yue said, looking down at Tomoyo. "We'll take Yuki's car."

The smile disappeared off of Yukito's face.

"Hey now, hold on one second." He started to say something, but was cut off.

"Come on big bro. You don't want me to deprive myself of a social life, do you?"

Tomoyo said pouting playfully, with mirth evident in her eyes. Yue raised his eyebrow at him.

Yukito narrowed his eyes at both of them.

"You better handle her gently Yue. And if I see a single scratch on her, I swear.."

"Yeah yeah yeah."

Yue cut him off this time with a wave of his hand.

"I'll be careful with 'the car'. Don't worry about it." He called over his shoulder as both him and Tomoyo made their way over to the stairs.

Yukito shook his head and went back to looking for the fork.

At the top of the stairs, Tomoyo turned around.

"Thanks Yue." She said sincerely.

Yue smiled softly at her and ruffled her hair, a habit that was shared among both brothers. With a final goodnight, both siblings disappeared behind their doors.

*~*~*

"You sure she's coming right?'

Kero asked for the tenth time that hour. He was currently sitting in the small café on the same block as the school, along with Sakura, Rika and Suppi. They had been there for about an hour now. Sakura and Suppi were chatting animatedly, whereas Rika was reading from a book she had brought along with her. They were all dressed in lose fitting, summer clothes. Even though it was the middle of September, the weather had taken a turn towards warm, and everyone wanted to take full advantage.

Sakura sighed exasperatedly.

"Yes Kero! How many times do I have to tell you." She rolled her eyes at him.

"No, I'm just making sure." Kero said further. "I mean most of the time your head is up in the clouds because of that boyfriend of yours, so I was just making su...OWWW!"

Kero was rubbing his shin that Sakura had promptly kicked under the table. Kero scowled deeply as Suppi smirked at him evilly.

"Bad move man." He said. "You should know better than to speak negatively about Sakura's Beau." He held up his hands immediately when Sakura glared up at him.

"Hey, I mean no harm."

Sakura smiled and punched him playfully on the arm.

"Where's Eriol? He didn't come in with you." She asked.

"Hey, how come you didn't hit him as hard as you did me?" Kero cried out indignantly.

"He stopped by a book store on the way over. He said he'll be here shortly, or if we can't wait for him, then just pick him up."

Suppi answered, ignoring Kero. Kero harrumphed loudly and got up.

"Well, I'm going to get something to drink." He turned towards the table. "You want anything Rika?"

Rika, who had been immersed in her book and hadn't participated in the conversation, looked up at him and smiled.

"Sure Kero, a chocolate shake would be nice."

"O.K"

Kero nodded his head and turned away. Suppi and Sakura grinned at each other.

"There was no way he was going to ask us, was there?"

Sakura nodded her head at Suppi. Suppi shook his head mirthfully and got up.

"I'll get us some drinks. How about a strawberry smoothie?"

Sakura smacked her lips.

"Mmm, yummy."

Suppi left to get them their drinks. Sakura turned towards Rika and took the book from her hands.

"Hey Rika. Give the book a rest, will ya?" Sakura shook her head at her friend. "It's weekend for crying out loud. You're the smartest girl in our year already, are you planning on becoming the smartest person in the whole town? Anyway, what do you need to do all this extra studying for?"

Rika smiled at her friend, as Sakura rifled through the pages.

"Hey, give it here Sakura. I'm just doing some research." Rika extended her arm to take the book back.

"You can study when you're at home."

Sakura said in a final tone, putting the book in Rika's bag, which was under the table. When she straightened up, she noticed that Rika's whole posture had gone rigid, and she was staring intently at the table mats. Sakura was about to ask what was wrong, when someone tugged on her hair softly from the back.

Sakura grimaced and turned around.

"Hey monster, what're you up to?"

Her older brother Touya was standing there, looking down at her. He was accompanied by his greasy haired, pointy-faced friend Akira, who had his eyes pinned on Rika. Sakura's scowl went deeper.

"Leave me alone Touya. I'm here with my friends." She said to her brother.

Despite her harsh tone, Touya smiled down at her.

"I know that. I'm just asking what you're doing today."

He asked with a small smile.

Rika looked at the exchange between brother and sister amazingly. Although she had seen it many times before, it still amazed her to see Touya drop his rough and tough exterior whenever he was with his sister. His face, which had hardened over time, would always soften at the sight of her. The smile, that would light up his face, made him look a lot more handsome and more approachable. She then noticed the person standing next to Touya, who was still staring at her openly, and dropped her gaze back to the table.

Sakura took a deep breath, and looked up at him.

"Well, if you must know, we are waiting here for a new friend of mine and the rest of the gang. We're going to plan on what to do, when everyone is here. Maybe we'll go to Lake Eden, or something."

Touya nodded his head, and once again pulled on her hair.

"Just be careful o.k."

Sakura smiled and nodded in reply. She loved her brother to pieces, but he could really be overwhelming at times. He should realize by now that she was not 5 years old anymore, and didn't always need her older brother to look out for her. But, she guessed, old habits die hard.

"O.K have fun on your day off, kiddo."

Touya said, and turned around to find a table of his own. Akira finally took his eyes off of the quiet girl, and followed his leader like a lap dog. When they were both out of ear shot, Rika sat up straight and took a deep breath.

"Whew. What is with that guy?" she grumbled.

"I know." Sakura was scowling on her friend's behalf. "I mean, talk about rude. I don't know why Touya hangs with him. He's such a leech."

Rika smiled at her friend.

"I'm glad you were here. I don't know what I would do if I ever see that guy on my own."

"Well," Sakura said thoughtfully. "I'm sure you'll have your book bag with you, since you are never seen without it. You could always throw that at his head. With the amount of books you carry in that thing, I'm sure it'll knock him out into next week."

Both girls giggled over the mental image of a prone Akira.

"Let's hope I never have to find that out." Rika said with slightly widened eyes.

They both giggled again, and were soon joined by Suppi and Kero, who had brought the drinks. With their refreshments, the conversation turned towards more enjoyable subjects.

*~*~*

"Oh man, that Rika chick is hot."

Akira said, once they settled down on a table further away from the girls. He was still trying to glance at their directions.

Touya glared at him.

"Well, 'that Rika chick' is one of my sister's friends. You better keep your filthy hands to yourself, understood?"

Akira gulped at the hard tone in Touya's voice. He knew that there were some things that you didn't dare mess with. Sakura and her friends being one of those. It was no secret how protective Touya was of his sister. Even when he wasn't with her, he still had her under his protective shadow. Unbeknownst to Sakura's friends, Touya had brought them under his protection as well.

"Yeah, understood man. Hey come on, lighten up dude. I was only kidding." Akira stammered.

Touya raised an eye-brow at him, and then turned his gaze towards the menu.

Even though he didn't like eating at this place, it still served good coffee. Touya's favorite place to eat, if he hadn't made the food himself, was most definitely the deli down the street from his house. They served really good food there, the kind that Touya had grown up eating.

He glanced over at Sakura's table. She was laughing and chatting excitedly with her friends. As Touya was observing, her group was joined by the cheerleader and her basketball playing boyfriend. And the one person, who was the only one brave enough, to stand up to Touya. Syaoran Li. His sister's boyfriend. Touya had always chased away any potential boyfriends who had come towards his sister. Syaoran was the only one who had stood up to him, and told him in no uncertain terms that he loves Sakura. And that he will continue to go out with her, whether Touya liked it or not. With a solemn promise that Syaoran better take care of her, Touya had shaken his hand. Now, Syaoran was one of the very few people that Touya trusted and respected.

He was weary to let his sister go because of how he had grown up. Their Mom had passed away, when Sakura was very young. Their father had had to work extra hard to support his small family. Touya was all Sakura had left, since she hardly ever saw her father. She always ran up to her big brother with her problems. No matter if they were really small like a scraped knee, or something like a boy picking on her at school. The first person she ran to was Touya, and he always took care of her. Part of the reason he had established 'Black Angels', was so everyone would know and fear his name. And they would know that Sakura is his sister, and would think twice before picking on her. Nakuru, Fumi and Akira had joined up later on.

Touya shook his thoughts away and looked up at the waitress. Akira was flirting rather shamelessly with the middle-aged woman. Touya shook his head in disgust and ordered a large black coffee.

A small breeze indicated that the door had opened. Because he had nothing better to do at the time, Touya looked up to see who had entered. His eyes widened slightly, and a smirk appeared on his handsome face. Yue Daidouji had just entered the café with his sister. They were both making their way over to Sakura's table, where they were received with loud yells of cheer. Touya noticed that the petite girl had immediately sat down on Sakura's other side, whereas Yue had nodded his head at the group, and was now making his way over to the counter. He perched himself on top of the rounded stools that were lined up in front of the counter, and placed an order.

Touya smiled evilly. He looked towards Akira who was also staring at Yue. He narrowed his eyes.

"I'm going to go say Hi to him. You better stay here, and start saving up your money. I'm going to win that bet if that's the last thing I do."

With those words, he stood up to walk towards the solitary figure sitting at the counter.

*~*~*

Yue had to stifle a smile at the reception that he and Tomoyo had received. They were sure a lively group of people. They all had insisted that Yue sat with them and join them, but Yue had declined politely. He wanted Tomoyo to have her own social life. He didn't want her to feel that her brothers are always around her, watching her every move. He didn't want her to feel suffocated, that's why he gave her, her own space.

Sitting at the counter, he ordered himself a cup of coffee, and waited while it prepared. His thoughts wavered and went over to the subject that had been haunting his thoughts. His history teacher, Mr. Reed. Ever since the first day, he had fallen head over heels for the beautiful man. He didn't know how he could feel so strongly for him in such short time, but he did. Every night he fell asleep thinking about the lecture he had given for that day. He recalled the deep, throaty sound of his voice, and the way his long black hair swayed with every move he made.

Once his coffee arrived, he started sipping on it slowly. He thought about how to make his dreams a reality. He really wanted to be with Charles Reed, but didn't know how to go about it. He didn't even have a confidant he could share this with. He was also a little bit weary of Touya Kinomoto's behavior. Ever since the first time they had met, it had felt as though Touya hates his guts. But now, at school, he was acting as if he was his best friend. The things he had heard about his gang, hadn't settled well within his system. But it was like another Touya that he encountered in the classroom everyday.

He was so lost in his jumbled up thoughts that he didn't hear when someone slipped into the seat right next to his.

"Yue Daidouji."

Somebody said his name really close to his ears. He got so startled that the next sip of coffee he took, spilled out some and scalded his lower lip. With a small hiss of pain, he quickly put the cup down and wiped at his mouth. He then looked at the person who had spoken to him. He was greeted with Touya's smiling face.

"Hey, how you doing buddy?"

Touya said as if they were the best of friend. Yue heaved a silent sigh.

"I'm fine thank you."

"So, what brings you out here, man?" Touya asked.

"Oh, I was just dropping my sister off here." He replied politely. He hadn't wanted this interruption.

"So, how do you like our town man?"

Touya swiveled in his chair, so now his back was supported by the counter. He put his elbows up and slid down a bit. Now, he was at face to face level with Yue.

"Umm, I haven't really seen it whole yet. Just the school. But it seems nice." Yue spoke carefully. He was still wary of his intentions.

"Oh really. Well we can't have that. Well I'm free today, why don't I show you around?" Touya offered.

Yue bit the inside of his lip. 'Why is he doing this?'

"I appreciate the offer, but no thanks. I think I just want to be alone right now."

Yue hoped that Touya would take the hint and leave him alone. He didn't.

"Aww come on man. What fun is it being alone? Come on, I'll show you all the hot spots, and introduce you around. It'll be fun." Touya insisted.

Yue rolled his eyes. 'what a thick-headed moron.'

"Maybe some other time."

Touya got a little higher on his seat, and brought his face closer to Yue.

"Let me put it to you this way. I am not going to leave you alone unless you agree to go with me. So, it's your choice. We can either sit here and talk, or you could come with me and look around."

Touya was so close to him that Yue could feel his hot breath on his face. He flushed at the close proximity. Touya was still looking at him waiting for an answer. Was it his imagination, or did Touya's eyes shifted from his eyes to his lips. Unable to look at him in this position, Yue swiveled his own chair around. Now they were sitting side by side. Yue bent his head at an angle and looked at him. Touya had also straightened up, and was still looking at Yue with an intense scrutiny. Yue opened his mouth to say something, when Tomoyo walked up to him.

"Hey Yue." She said, as Yue sat up straight. "My friends and I are going to go to Lake Eden, and then we're probably going to hit the mall."

Yue nodded his head.

"O.K do you want some money?"

Tomoyo giggled and shook her head.

"No, I'm good. Just wanted to let you know that don't worry about picking my up. Suppi said he'll drop me off, since we live right across from each other."

Yue smiled softly, and tugged at her ponytail.

"O.K go have fun. Oh wait. Tomoyo this is Touya Kinomoto."

Even though he didn't like that guy very much, there was still no excuse to be rude. Tomoyo smiled and held out her hand.

"Touya, this is my sister Tomoyo."

Touya gave her a lopsided smile, and held her hand. He then brushed a small butterfly kiss across her knuckles.

"It's a pleasure to meet such a pretty little lady."

Tomoyo gave a small giggle.

"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Kinomoto."

Touya held a hand to his heart, as if hurt.

"Please, call me Touya. Mr. Kinomoto is my father."

Tomoyo chuckled loudly.

"All right, Touya." She then turned towards her brother. "O.K Yue, I'll see you later at home. And please don't sit here drinking coffee all day, go and have some fun. O.K"

Yue sweat-dropped at her motherly tone, while Touya smirked at him.

"Bye guys."

Tomoyo waved and quickly jogged up to join her friends. She went over to Sakura. They both looked behind them at the two boys sitting at the counter. Sakura smiled widely and whispered something in Tomoyo's ears. Tomoyo looked back at them and both girls giggled loudly, before exiting. Both Touya and Yue were a little apprehensive of their sisters. God only knew what went inside the mind of a woman.

Once they had gone, Touya again turned towards Yue.

"Well?"

Yue heaved a defeated sigh. Anything was better than sitting alone, and wallowing in self-pity. Maybe a little distraction would help clear his mind a bit. He looked towards Touya, and nodded his head.

"Sure. Why not?"

"All right. Let's get the hell out of here. Come on."

Touya jumped off the stool and made towards the door. Now that he was standing up straight, Yue took in his appearance. Today, for the first time, he saw Touya dressed in a pair of tight black jeans. A white t-shirt was tucked into his pants, and a blue-jeans jacket was wrapped around his middle. He wore his black-buckled boots. He was quite the picture of an out-law, out to cause more damage. Yue found his appearance to his liking. Maybe a little sex... No, Yue placed a stop at his thoughts. He did not think that Touya Kinomoto was in any way sexy. He didn't like the boy like that. Plus, he had other things to occupy his mind. Like one Mr. Charles Reed.

Once outside, Yue took out his car keys, and made towards his, or rather Yukito's, car. He was about to put the key in the door, when his hand was grabbed in a large, warm grip.

"Uh uh. You won't be needing you car. We'll be riding on my bike."

Touya pointed towards the shiny, black Harely Davidson, which was standing proudly at one corner of the lot. It had leather seats and it gleamed in the sunlight. Yue couldn't help but admire the piece of machinery. Touya went over and perched on the seat, facing Yue.

"I think it would be better if I take my car." Yue tried to protest.

"Nah. Leave it here. No one's going to mess with it. I'll bring you back to pick it up, o.k."

In short time, Yue had learned that there was no use arguing with Touya. He had always thought that Yukito was stubborn, but even he had nothing on the boy staring at him right now.

"Fine."

Yue went over, as Touya smiled widely and straightened up. He then swung his long legs over the seat and kicked the stand up. Once the bike was up right, Yue climbed in the back. He didn't know where to place his hands. There was no back stand for him to hold on to. He was still thinking when Touya turned his head towards him.

"Sorry, I don't have a helmet for you."

Yue shook his head.

"That's o.k."

Touya started up the bike, and it came to life with a roar. Yue decision, as to where to place his hands, was made on its own, when Touya took on the street with a jolt. Yue was pushed against his back, and his arms came forwards to clasp around his waist. He tried to keep his hold as light as possible, but that was no use. He tightened his grip around him as Touya sped down the road. With his heart beating loudly in his chest, Yue placed his head on Touya's broad back to block out the wind.

Praying to every Deity he knew, Yue hoped he would be able to see his family again after this wild ride with the maniac on the bike. With his arms firmly around him, Yue closed his eyes, and let Touya take him to whatever place he had in mind.

*~*~*

Touya was really enjoying the ride. When he noticed how Yue was clinging to his back, he sped up more, just to feel his form pressing into him. The way his dainty arms were encircled around his waist, were sending shivers down his spines. Touya felt a bit surprised at his reaction to having something as simple as Yue holding onto him, whereas he had never felt like this when Nakuru was riding with him.

He made a final turn and stopped the bike. He turned off the engine and got off. He turned towards Yue and couldn't suppress the smile that broke out over his face. Yue was sitting with his eyes tightly shut, and his lower lip clenched between his teeth. He was holding onto the seat with fisted hands, as if never want to let go. His hair were in a complete disarray.

Touya tapped him on the shoulder.

"Umm, hey dude. We're here."

Very slowly, Yue let go of the seat and opened his eyes. He took a deep breath and got off the bike.

"You are such a maniac. Has anyone ever told you that?"

He scowled at Touya, while patting down his wild, out of control hair.

"Loads of people. Now come on."

Touya said as Yue looked at the surrounding.

"Where are we?" he inquired.

Touya started towards the diner, where he had stopped. He went up to the door and held it open for him.

"A little place I like to call home away from home."

Yue raised his eyebrows at him. Touya gave a small chuckle.

"Come on!"

They both entered and were immediately hit with strong aromas of brewing coffee and freshly baked bread. They made their way over to the counter as Yue gave the place a once over.

Even though it was small, it was very well kept. The floors were clean and sparkled with shine. The food was displayed nicely in the glass counters. And quite a few waitresses were walking around taking people's orders. For a Saturday morning, the place was fairly empty. The people who were present were talking softly amongst themselves.

When they walked up to the counter, Yue looked at the elderly woman behind the counter. She looked to be in her late fifties. Her graying hair were in a bun and she had a rosy complexion. She gave them a wide smile as they approached.

"Well hello there stranger. How may I be of service to you?"

Touya placed his hands on the counter and hauled himself up. He bent towards the lady and gave her a peck on the forehead.

"Hey Irene. How's it going sweetheart?"

Irene smiled and swatted at him playfully. Touya stood back straight.

"Don't you 'sweetheart' me, Kinomoto. Where have you been? I haven't seen you in a while."

Touya seemed a bit embarrassed.

"Oh you know Irene. Been busy with the school work and all that."

"Oh really." Irene raised an eyebrow. "You bringing in straight A's I suppose. I can't wait to see your report card when it comes in."

Yue observed all this with an amused expression. She was reprimanding him like a mother. Irene then looked towards him and smiled.

"Well hello there darling. Haven't seen you before."

Touya turned towards him.

"Irene, this is my good friend Yue Daidouji. And Yue, this is the love of my life Irene Peterson."

Irene laughed whereas Yue smiled gently. They both shook hands over the counter.

"Nice to meet you Mrs. Peterson." He said politely.

"Oh hush darling. Call me Irene. Everyone else does." She said, smiling affectionately, and winked at him.

"So, what will you boys be having today?" she asked, coming into her business mode.

"I'll have your freshest batch of French toast with maple syrup and black coffee with one sugar." Touya immediately spoke up. Irene wrote it down and turned towards Yue.

"And for you honey?"

"Oh, nothing for me, thanks." He shook his head.

"What? No way!" Touya cried out. "You haven't lived until you have tasted her pancakes. She makes the best pancakes on the western hemisphere. Irene, add them to the order please."

Ignoring Yue's shakes of heads and frantic protests, Touya hauled him over to a booth by the window. He slid into the seat as Yue sat down in the opposite seat and glared at him.

"What?"

Touya asked innocently, noticing the scowl on Yue's face.

"I wasn't hungry. Why did you order for me?"

Touya waved him off.

"Hey come on. You don't always have to be hungry to enjoy a meal. Live a little dude."

Yue's color paled for a second at Touya's words. A deeply hidden memory threatened to surface in Yue's mind, but was squashed down as Touya spoke up again.

"I was thinking that after we were done here, we could go the bowling alley. What say you?"

Yue breathed deeply and shrugged his shoulders.

"Why are you asking me? Aren't you the one who is going to be making those decisions today?"

It was very hard to miss the biting sarcasm in Yue's tone. Touya stared at him intently for a long time, making Yue nervous and fidget in his seat. He tore his eyes away from him as their food arrived.

"Hmm, there you go darlin'."

Touya looked up and thanked the waitress who had brought their food. She was a pretty little thing, with dark brunette hair and big brown eyes. She smiled flirtatiously at him.

"No problem handsome."

She said and walked away, with a little sway to her hips. Touya's eyes followed her as she left to retrieve other orders. When his eyes came back to his own table, he was met with a very narrow, silver gaze. Yue was glaring at him furiously. When Touya made eye-contact, he immediately dropped his gaze and concentrated on the food in front of him.

What the hell was the matter with him? Yue silently reprimanded himself. For some reason, he hadn't liked the way Touya's eyes had followed that skanky woman. Why would he care who this guy looks at?

Yue shook his head as he dumped a generous amount of syrup on his pancakes. Even though he really wasn't that hungry, he might as well enjoy the food to the fullest. He took the first bite and closed his eyes in ecstasy as the warm confection dissolved in his mouth.

"Hmm, these 'are' good."

He opened his eyes and looked at Touya.

Touya, who had noticed Yue staring at him earlier, kept his head bent over his food and continued to eat quietly. Yue felt bad about his earlier words. Even though the guy was coming on a little too strong, that was still no excuse for Yue to bite his head off.

"Umm, look Touya. I am really sorry about earlier."

Touya's head snapped up at Yue's apologetic tone. His eyes went wide with disbelief at the sorrowful look on Yue's face.

"I know you're just trying to be friendly, but you are also being a bit forceful." Yue continued. "Why don't you back off a bit and let me think for myself." He said in an amiable tone.

Touya put down his fork.

"You're right. I'm sorry too. I just like you so much and want you to be my friend. I haven't had many friends in my life and I don't really know how to go about making you mine."

Yue face was reddening at Touya's words. He knew that Touya meant to make him his friend, but still, he should really choose his words carefully. And the way Touya was looking at him with his sharp blue eyes, made his heart-beat skip a beat. Or two.

"O.K then, how about if we start over?" Yue said, putting his own fork down. He then extended his hand.

"Hi. My name is Yue Daidouji. Would you like to be my friend?"

Touya's face broke out in a real smile. His eyes took a new shine that Yue had never seen before. Touya grabbed his hand in his large firm grasp.

"Hi. I'm Touya Kinomoto. And I would love to be your friend."

He squeezed his hand gently and bent his head towards him.

"Would you give me the honors of spending the day with me, Yue? Please?"

Yue smiled at him in return.

"I think I would like that."

Touya nodded his head and straightened up. They both went back to finishing their food.

He still had a long way to go before he made Yue his and his alone. But, by the looks of things, he had successfully completed the first step. Now it was only a matter of time before Yue came willing into his arms. From somewhere deep within, a sense of guilt arose at playing with the beautiful, shy and quiet boy's feelings. But Touya suppressed it down before it could make an impact. He had to keep his word that he had promised his gang. Touya was now eagerly looking forward to the day ahead.

*~*~*

TBC.