DISCLAIMER: I do not own CCS or any of its characters. CLAMP does. This plot is a product of my imagination. Any similarities to other fan fictions are unintentional.

YUKITO'S LITTLE SECRET

By bishounen lovah

Chapter 4

Yukino stuck her head inside the room, straining her ears as she listened for any movements. When she was sure that nobody was inside, she quickly rushed to one of the bathroom stalls, sighing in relief because she almost didn't make it in time.

A couple of minutes later she emerged from the stall and took a look around her. This was the second time she entered a female public comfort room, the first time was when Nakuru dragged her to the mall a week earlier.

That has got to be the worst day ever, she thought ruefully. Well next to the day this whole mess started anyway.

~Flashback~

Nakuru had woken her up early that morning blabbering things about shopping and makeovers. They went from one shop to another, ordering her to try on different dresses and other feminine outfits. Then Nakuru insisted on buying tons of makeup for Yukino, none of which she knew how to use. And then, she shoved her in a beauty parlor where a bunch of overenthusiastic ladies surrounded her like predators swooping in for a kill.

By the time that day was almost over, she was ready to drop to the ground from exhaustion. Wanting to freshen up a bit she automatically strode towards the comfort room. She was so tired that she didn't notice the odd looks the people inside gave her when she opened the door.

She was about to walk in when Nakuru grabbed her arm in a death grip and dragged her outside. "Baka! What do you think you're doing?"

"What does it look like? And don't you call me an idiot. I've had enough of your silly stuff," Yukino hissed at the other guardian in irritation.

"I can call you an idiot when you're acting like one. You can't go in there. That's the Men's Room and in case you've forgotten you're no longer a man," she pointed out in an amused tone.

Yukino shot another irritated look at Nakuru because she was right. She did forget about her little predicament. And much as she hated to admit it, she was thankful that the other girl stopped her from making a much bigger fool of herself.

"Oi, hentai! What are you looking at?" Nakuru snapped at some guy who was leering at Yukino. The guy took one look at Nakuru's contorted face and he quickly ran away from the Men's Room.

"Idiotic, testosterone-driven males," she muttered some more before dragging Yukino away again. "Come on, the Ladies' Room is this way."

"Matte," Yukino yelled in panic. She didn't want to go in there. She wasn't ready.

"Don't worry about anything. There's nothing to be embarrassed about," Nakuru insisted as she gave Yukino a hard push, sending her tumbling inside.

Yukino slowly straightened up, aware of the women who were staring at her. She quickly closed her eyes shut, not wanting to see anything, accustomed as she was to male comfort rooms and what was seen in there.

"Ehehehe. Don't mind her. You know how weird tourists can get," Nakuru said in response to the women's odd looks at Yukino. She then grabbed Yukino's arm and hauled her to one corner. "Would you stop acting like a weirdo? You're drawing more attention to yourself than necessary."

"I can't help it. I don't want to see stuff I'm not ready to see yet." Yukino replied, her cheeks burning from embarrassment.

"See what?" Nakuru said in an exasperated tone. "This isn't the men's room. Women need more privacy than men. If you'll just open your eyes you'll see what I'm talking about."

Yukino opened one eye and sneaked a peak. She saw that Nakuru was right again. There were no 'indecent exposures' compared to those seen in male comfort rooms. This room was just composed of several stalls, a long sink and an equally long mirror.

The women at the sink gathered their purses and quickly moved past them, shooting one last bewildered look at Yukino.

"You should really stop doing stuff like those, Yukino. They're not healthy," Nakuru said as she laid the shopping bags down beside the sink and took a hairbrush from her purse.

"I can't help it. I didn't know being a girl could be so grueling."

"Girl, you haven't seen anything yet. You'll know what I mean when you get back to Tomoeda. But first, you'd better get acquainted to the ladies' room now because next week I won't be with you to hold your hand."

~End of Flashback~

Yukino stared at her reflection. It was a good thing nobody recognized her. Nakuru's makeover was actually of good use although she still thought that she wasted a perfectly good afternoon sitting in that parlor.

Her shoulder length hair was dyed into a darker shade of blackish-gray and was styled so that her bangs would not cover her entire forehead.

And thank Kami for contact lenses. Not only did she not have to use her glasses, the contacts also changed the color of her eyes. The only thing that she wasn't keen on was the daily task of removing, cleaning and putting them back on.

At least Touya did not recognize me, she sighed.

Her thoughts reverted back to her best friend. She really did miss him so much. Her heart actually danced in joy when she saw him earlier. All she wanted to do was look at him and stare at his handsome features. But of course she couldn't. Not unless she wanted to get detention on her 'first day' in Seijou High School.

And at recess she wanted to strike up a conversation with him but a group of boys kept on bugging her and following her around. This must have been what Nakuru meant last week at the mall. Keroberos would surely have a blast when he found out about her groupies. She could almost hear his teasing right now…

Wow, Yukito, you sure are popular! I guess you're much better off being a cute girl. Hey, maybe you should line me up as one of your suitors.

Yukino felt an animated vein pop on her forehead and thump in response to that thought. Keroberos must not find out!!!

Her thoughts were disturbed when her stomach growled loudly. I'd better buy lunch. All of this pretending is so energy consuming, she thought as she left the comfort room and sneaked out of school to avoid getting mauled by boys again.

Ten minutes later, Yukino sneaked back in through the Tomoeda Elementary School and walked straight to her favorite tree at the back of the school. She quickly sat down and unloaded her food from the large paper bag. She was about to take a bite of her large sub sandwich when she heard something move behind the tree. Leaning to her side and turning her head, she looked at what caused the sound.

Her breath got stuck in her throat when she came face to face with the 'source' of the sound. Her face was mere inches away from Touya's who was seated at the opposite side of the tree. It had slipped her mind that this was Touya's favorite tree too.

"Touya-kun," she whispered in surprise before blushing in reaction. "Anou…Kinomoto-san."

She saw his eyes flash once before giving her a small smile. "That's okay. You can call me Touya," he said as he moved to sit in front of her.

"A-arigatou," she stammered, turning a shade deeper.

"What about me? Can I call you Yukino?"

"Hai, hai!" She said too quickly. Not knowing what to say next, she began eating her sandwich.

"Anou…"

She raised her head and looked at the sweatdropping Touya.

"Are you going to eat all of those?" he asked, gesturing at the other two subs, five bananas and three chocolate chip muffins.

"Gomen nasai…where are my manners? Would you like some?"

"Iie," Touya quickly shook his head. "I'm just wondering, that's all. They seem to be quite a lot."

"Actually, these aren't as much as I used to eat. I seem to have lost some appetite ever since…" Yukino chomped on her sandwich once more. That was a close call. She had almost spilled the beans. Touya always had that effect on her. She could never keep anything from him.

"Changing schools has got to be hard. Plus you don't get to see your old friends anymore. It's quite understandable that you, uh, have less appetite than usual."

"Un." She nodded her head, taking that lifeline. She should be more careful next time.

"You remind me of my best friend."

Yukino swallowed a rather large bite of the sub in surprise. She started to choke and grabbed the large bottle of mineral water from Touya. She downed half of its content trying to push the food down.

"Daijoubu?" Touya asked worriedly.

"Aa," she wheezed out. "I'm okay. What was it that you were saying?"

"I said you remind me of my best friend, Yukito. He's kind of transferred to England for one year."

"Honto?" Yukino said, trying to act cool yet interested. "Why do I remind you of him?"

"Well, for one, both of you have greater storage capacity for food than average people. No offense though," he quickly added.

"None taken," said a sweatdropping Yukino.

"Then physically you seem to be alike. Anou…I mean you're about the same height as he is. You're facial bone structure is similar. Your hair is almost the same color as his although yours is a tint darker."

Each similarity Touya had pointed out caused Yukino to sweatdrop more furiously. Trust Touya to be observant and perceptive. It was a good thing that she still had his power or else he would have already guessed that she really was Yukito.

"And your eyes…"

Yukino felt her cheeks burn as she watched him lean closer to her and stare deep into her eyes. Flustered as she was, she couldn't help but to stare back into those dark brown orbs.

"Hai," she whispered.

"Even if the color of your eyes are different they have the same gleam…same…I don't know. I just feel like I'm looking into Yukito's eyes right now."

"This Yukito…he's very special to you, ne?" She couldn't help ask the question. She had to know.

"Aa. Very special. He's the brother I never had."

She felt like she was punched on the stomach. Hard. She looked away as she gasped at the pain his words had given.

"I see," she forced herself to whisper. She understood everything. All he ever saw in Yukito was a brother. Nothing more.

Baka, she reprimanded herself. What did you expect? You brought this upon yourself. You should be grateful that he thinks of you as a brother. It means that he loves you to some level even if not in the same way as you love him.

Touya watched Yukino as she quietly ate her lunch. He saw the pain and sadness in her eyes when he mentioned Yukito. Nice going, Touya. She must have remembered her own best friend from all of your ramblings.

"Gomen nasai," he apologized. "Did I make you remember your friends back home? I'm sure you miss them too."

She looked at him, uncontrollable tears stung her eyes. She had become so emotional ever since she turned into a girl. Meeting his worried gaze, she couldn't help but fall in love with him all over again despite of the heartache his words had caused. She couldn't help it if Touya was the most caring man she had ever met.

"Daijoubu," she tried to smile brightly before turning her attention back to her food. She forced herself to finish all of the food even though her appetite had disappeared minutes ago.

They ate in companionable silence although once in a while Yukino would feel Touya's gaze on her. And when she knew he wasn't looking, she would sneak a peak at him. Once or twice their eyes met causing Yukino to blush furiously. She quickly averted her eyes, completely missing Touya's own blush.

"Tell me something about yourself, Yukino-chan," he spoke when both of them had finished eating.

"Er…there's nothing much to tell," she faltered, panic settling in her brain.

"Of course there is. For example, where are you from? Why did you move here in Tomoeda? Who are you here with?"

"Um…well…" Yukino ransacked her brain for answers. She had spent the previous week worrying about whether or not Touya would recognize her that she hadn't thought about making up stories about her new identity.

"Oi, Yukino-chan!"

Someone called her name from across the grounds and she welcomed the interruption. But her face fell when she saw who yelled. It was Sen-san accompanied by three-fourths of the varsity basketball team. Yukino blew a mushroom bubble sigh from a mixture of relief and exasperation. Relief because she was saved from answering Touya's questions and exasperation (and a little annoyance) because her groupies had managed to track her down.

She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Touya sigh. It might be her imagination but Yukino thought she heard a tinge of irritation in that sigh. Her suspicions were correct for she saw a scowl forming on his face.

What's up with him? I know that Sen and Touya aren't friends but he never showed dislike towards the basketball captain either, she thought as she stood up, not wanting to look up at a bunch of flagpoles.

"So this is where you've been hiding," Sen said as he flashed his infamous smile. According to Nakuru, Sen was the cutest guy in school. Next to Touya and Yukito, of course.

Definitely not as handsome as Touya, Yukino said to herself as she mustered up all her strength to paste a realistic smile.

"I like it here. 'Tis only at places where egotistic people are absent can I truly be certain that I won't suffer from subsequent indigestion," she said with a sweet smile, hoping that he would take the hint and leave. Unfortunately he didn't for what he had gained in his good looks and basketball prowess, he sorely lacked in intellectual ability and two-way social interaction.

Her smile widened when she heard Touya hide his laughter behind a cough. Sen looked at her as though she had just discussed the entire evolution of man.

"Bwahahahaha. That was funny. I didn't know you were such a comedienne," he laughed after a while, cueing his teammates to laugh along with him and so they did.

It took every ounce of her energy to keep on smiling and stop herself from rolling her eyes. And she would have but she was afraid to pop her contact lenses. However, she was tempted to transform into to Yue and attack the arrogant boy with her ice shards when he placed his arm around her shoulder. If it weren't for Touya's presence behind her she might have given in to the temptation. Nobody noticed that Touya was actually fuming inside because of reasons unknown even to himself. His left eye was uncontrollably twitching at Sen's well-toned arm.

"Anyway, I came here to invite you to watch our practice this afternoon so you can see how great our basketball team is. Then, afterwards, I can show you around Tomoeda," Sen as he tightened his hold on her.

Yukino raised an eyebrow out of irritation and disgust. She had never noticed how smug the boy was. It took great effort to not punch him squarely under his chin. Instead she just moved away from his embrace and backed away towards Touya.

"Anou…gomen nasai. Your invitation sounds tempting but Touya-kun has already volunteered to show me around this afternoon…the whole week for that matter." She said, smiling apologetically as best as she could. She glanced at Touya with pleading eyes hoping that he wouldn't give away her lie.

"Aa," he said, quickly erasing the surprised look from his face. He looked at the basketball captain and saw that he was scowling at him. He thought that the scowl was pathetic and gave Sen a much scarier one.

Sen took a step back at that. He was surprised at Touya's glare. He was used to seeing indifference on the other guy's face. But still he was furious at being refused. No girl had ever refused him before. He would let it go this time but next time he wouldn't let Kinomoto get in the way.

"I'm cool with that," he said giving Yukino a grin and Touya a challenging look. "Save next week for me though and I won't take no for an answer."

He gave Yukino a wink before moving away. Each of his goons smirked at Touya before following him.

Yukino didn't miss any of this and she sighed in relief. For a minute there she thought they were going to beat Touya up. Speaking of whom, she looked at him apologetically, this time sincerely.

"I'm so sorry I have to drag you into this mess. I just didn't know how to handle that guy. I don't like him but I don't want to hurt his feelings either."

"People like those have no feelings whatsoever. All they ever think about are themselves. They don't deserve your kindness," Touya said as he began picking up their trash and threw them in a nearby trashcan. Afterwards they started to walk back to the school building since it was almost time for their break to end.

"You don't have to come with me if you don't want to. We could just leave school together then go separate ways," she said, crossing her fingers behind her back at the same time. Even if she knew that her love would never be reciprocated she was content in just spending time with him.

"Iie. I don't mind showing you around although I have a couple of things to do after class. Wait for me at the entrance. It won't take me long to finish my tasks."

"Hai," Yukino smiled brightly at Touya, looking forward to their 'date' later on.

~Twenty minutes after dismissal~

"Yukino-chan," Touya called out as he rushed towards the girl. "Gomen ne. Did you wait too long?"

"I didn't mind waiting," she answered truthfully. Besides, some girls stopped by to chat with her a few minutes ago so she didn't spend that much time alone waiting for him.

"So where do you want to go," he said as they started walking.

Yukino shrugged. "Anywhere." So long as I'm with you.

"All right then. Why don't we start with…"

"Touya-niichan!"

Both of them turned to where the voice came from and saw the girl running towards them.

The Card Mistress, Yukino thought in panic, her face losing color by the second.

To be continued…