tampered | Log - Completed

To be honest, Touya was giving Clow's creepiness way too much credit. Perhaps he should have gone a little easier on Touya when they first spoke, or maybe backed off until he was more settled in, but Touya had been asking for it in Clow's opinion. He was only playing, after all, and Touya had given no indication that he was taking the game more seriously than Clow was.

Still, Clow wanted to get along with him and so had every intention of being as up-front as he could about whatever Touya wanted to know. He'd need to know these things if they were going to both be living in the City, as wrong as it seemed for Clow to be the one to tell him. These weren't going to be easy questions to answer, either - even if it wouldn't be painful, it would be awkward. Hence, Clow had left early enough that he could walk to the hot springs and mentally prepare along the way.

What was the worst that could happen? Touya not believing him?

At last he approached the building where Sakura and Touya lived, his hands deep in the pockets of his trenchcoat (which he wore open, although it was a bit warm to be wearing one at all) as he walked, and spotted Touya waiting there on the porch. Maintaining a respectful distance as he came close enough to speak without having to shout too much, he looked up at the boy - his slight apprehension had ripped the playfulness from his expression, just for the moment.

"Shall we?"

And maybe he's wrong. Touya more than most people knows not to trust appearances, but he can't quite help it, the man looks so familiar. Not just familiar like his dad, but like...

He hates this place. Hates what it's done. Touya's an adult, he can cope without being with a certain person, but how is it fair that Sakura's landed here without her protector? And why's this guy make him think of it?

He's certain Clow is powerful. Everything points to that, even if he can't tell by looking. Still, he's remarkably casual - trying to let down his guard a bit for show. "Yeah. Hi."

He steps off the porch. "Guess we don't need a formal introduction..."

"Why, did you want one?" Clow responds with just a hint of a smirk. "We could include blood types and birthdates."

Except, you know, not.

Seemingly having already decided where they were to go first, Clow takes a lef upon leaving the hot springs and heads towards Xanadu.

"We could do that," Touya agrees, matching his pace to walk beside the tall man. "But you already know all that about me, don't you?" He actually says it like it doesn't bother him at all, which is an indication of how much it bothers him. Touya scratches the back of his head, seemingly bored. "You already know the monster, and you know me, and my dad. How long have you been watching us?"

Though he's got a suspicion as to the answer. And it's got him more frustrated and confused than he'd like to admit.

This is not the right question, but it's a sensible one considering the circumstances. "You should ask, 'how long was I watching you?' and the answer to that is, 'for a very long time, before any of you were born.'"

There, that's much better. Clow seems satisfied - or amused with himself, take your pick - that perhaps he can sort of steer Touya into asking the right sorts of questions.

"What do you have to do with Sakura?" It's the only reason Touya can think of that they're even worth watching. All of the weirdness - even the most important person in his life - all of it is because of Sakura. Clow's some part of the puzzle, and there's no reason to dodge that. He got by pretending he didn't notice or care, respecting Sakura enough to never interfere unless there was dire need.

Something occurs to him, and it's dizzying, the implications. "Are you behind everything she had to go through?"

Victory! Clow has to restrain himself from expressing how pleased he is at Touya's having hit the nail on the head so quickly. After all, a lot of the things that happened to Sakura were serious business.

"Yes, I was." He feels like he should add something to that, but there's so much to say that he can't think of where to start.

"Why her? She's just a kid, scared easily, cries pretty easily. She already has to get by with just me and dad looking after her, why would you put her in danger? Why make her suffer? I know she's brave and she can handle it, but still. A little girl, Clow." Touya's not as angry as he expected he would be. Just sad for Sakura, angry that he couldn't help more. "What did she inherit from you, exactly?"

There's no other way to make sense of it, and he hates that conclusion. His world has been narrow for a long time. Since his mother died, that's how he preferred it. Never wanted many people interrupting his daily life. So maybe it's own fault that when he maps out the people he knows in his life, all he sees are these connections. Suddenly it seems Clow might be at the center, the cause, just as much as Sakura if not more so.

"She was the only one who could do it," he says at first, quietly. He's not proud of what he had to do - it was underhanded, manipulative, and maybe even a little selfish - but if he hadn't put all of that into motion it would have turned out so much worse. After a moment of thought, he regains his nerve and elaborates, "I needed to not be so powerful, the Cards and Yue and Cerberus needed a new master, and Sakura needed to learn how to use her powers."

... Still does, really. Hmm, he should look into that, come to think of it.

"I suppose you could say that she inherited the Cards and Yue and Cerberus, although I think it's more that they chose her." Does it change anything that he knew they'd do that? He pauses, trying to decide whether or not to say the next part. "... And you could also say that she inherited her magic from me. As did you, in the same sense."

Touya nods and listens. He doesn't like what he's hearing but he's not about to jump on the guy for telling it. In his heart, he knows that Sakura's fine, she's always been able to handle whatever this guy threw at her. No, Touya knows he's the one who wants reassurance about the reasons and her ability. She's gone far beyond what he can protect.

"I thought it had to be something like that. I can't... like I used to. You probably know about that, too." He suddenly doesn't feel like looking at Clow. "You made Yue-san." It was his suspicion since the moment he became aware of Clow, somehow, but he still feels his heart sink for some reason when he speaks the words.

"I know." And he's very grateful for what Touya did - so much of the point of everything would have been lost if Yue and Cerberus had been allowed to fade away. When he responds to Touya's next words, he looks at him over at him to gauge his expression - it's just not something to be taken lightly.

"Yes, I did." Then he has to look away, however. If that hurts Touya at all, Clow empathizes but doesn't pretend to understand it. Fortunately, they are nearing their first destination, so he can pretend to be distracted by the park's flora instead.

Touya can't speak for a long moment. There are so many emotions rearing their heads that he couldn't being to describe them, but more than anything he simply misses Yuki. It's physically painful to know he won't see his smile in the morning, feel the light touch of his hand. It's not Clow's fault he isn't here, though, so he tries to focus on something - anything else.

"I don't know if I should be thankful, or angry at how much you manipulated us. I'm older, I'm fine, but Sakura... creating a person... and... such a person as him..." Touya tries to swallow the lump in his throat. "Is this what you intended? For us to feel like this?" For me to fall in love?

Clow has been specifically avoiding mentioning that Yukito was here, briefly, about a month ago. It might hurt Touya too much - hell, it hurts Clow in ways that he doesn't even quite understand. The way he misses Yue is far too similar to the way that he misses Yuuko.

"No, actually," he replies, almost cheerfully. "That wasn't my intent, nor did I have any idea that things would turn out in quite that way."

It was a surprise.

Touya actually smiles at that. It's faint but relieved expression. "Good. Then there are some things beyond others ability to control. That at least gives me some hope."

Touya believes in hope for he and Yuki. Hope that they will be together as long as their lifetimes will allow, and hope that someday he can come to know and love Yue-san in much the same way.

And he believes in hope for Sakura, that she will always be strong enough to face these things, and hope that when that horrible brat of a kid takes her away from him, that she will be happy. And they won't have to risk themselves all the time for the far-off notions of some distant force.

"You seem pretty happy for someone whose plans didn't work out the way you intended. Does it bother you?" Not apologetic, yet he's worried it hurts Clow.

And he doesn't even know the guy.
And he's a creep.
And...

It would be hard, giving up the ones you made and cared for and watching them love other people. Maybe that's why Clow reminds him so much of his father.

Clow smiles even more brightly. "Not at all! I like surprises - they're rare, as I'm sure you can imagine."

Of course it hurts, but that's what happens when you're dead. People mourn you for a little while and then get on with their lives - Clow would be even more hurt if Yue somehow hadn't.

"It's better than anything I could have planned; everyone seems to be happy this way."

Touya nods. "He's one of the first things that surprised me... in a very long time." Yuki ran against the cynicism Touya developed to face the world with. Somehow broke through that wall without force. And the irony is, without Touya's initial curiosity - the fact Yuki clearly wasn't human - maybe none of that would have happened.

"So what do you know about this place?" he asked, crouching to admire a flower. "This doesn't seem like another trial for Sakura." Plus, if that's the case, there's no reason for him to be here, is there?

You'd be surprised at the insane sorts of trials Clow and Eriol could have cooked up for her.

"I think it's a trial for everyone," he said, mostly to himself before speaking up. "I don't know much about the City; only that there's a clock at the center that is rumored to be counting down to the end of all worlds. If you've been hearing ticking, that's where it's coming from."

Hmm, what else...? He's given the introduction to the City enough times that he's starting to think that he ought to write down all of the talking points.

"What's the point in bringing someone like me here? Or all of these kids I see around who are just average high school students." The first complaint gives away Touya's hand more than he'd like to admit - he feels useless. Never stops worrying. "Nothing makes sense," he mutters, touching the petals of a flower gently. Remembering another soft touch. "I haven't heard it much. I'm pretty busy. I got a job as a server, and I've been cleaning up the house, making my space there, looking after Sakura."

There's nothing else he can do, after all.

"I don't think that anyone here is average, Touya-san." The tone of Clow's voice is one of quiet amusement - magic or no, you cannot escape hitsuzen. Curiousity gets the better of him for the moment, however, and he changes the subject. "Where do you work?"

"Cassagioso's, a little Italian place, well, mostly a bar. I made a post on the network about needing a job and the owner offered me one. I haven't spent a lot of time there, since the epidemic. I'm very optimistic about it, though." The thought of the poisonings puts him in poor spirits, though, and Touya goes quiet. He ought to be glad he's here to protect Sakura, especially since that brat isn't here and neither is Yuki. However, there's little for him to do but work. Study a little and maybe get ahead on his material for college. Try and ignore the loneliness clawing his throat. Try and ignore this oddly volatile mix of confusing emotions he has for the one standing so near him.

"Oh! Yes, it's a nice place." Indeed, Clow has actually been going there fairly regularly since it opened. Before that, it was somewhat frustrating realizing that he worked at the only bar in the City that had an atmosphere that was to his liking. Who wants to spend their recreational time at their place of work? "I hope it treats you well."

Clow falls silent, as well. Being around Touya makes him think of Yue, and for the first time since the angel left the City he actually found himself wishing for him to come back - and for completely un-selfish reasons, at that. Yukito needed to be here to keep Touya company, and for a moment Clow is pleased because he feels like he's allowed to want these things if they're for someone else. Yet, if he were truly being un-selfish he'd wish Touya and everyone else gone rather than wishing Yue here. That realization doesn't make him stop wanting it, but it does make his smile fade a bit. Missing Yue is no longer something that can give him hope.

He sighs and pauses for a moment, smelling a flower, to let his mind return to the world outside. There's hope somewhere - this garden was where Clow first found it in the City, when he still had some to find.

"... So, this is Xanadu."

Touya looks around when Clow introduces the area, even if that's all he's been dong since they arrived. "I like it," he says almost grudgingly. "It smells great."

So he's not about to win any prizes for poetry, but at least his countenance is somewhat more relaxed. "It's so... big."

Yeah. He's great at descriptions.

Clow's only response is to laugh. He hadn't noticed any resemblance before, but suddenly Touya sounds a lot like Yue. They both just have this way with words.

Touya gives Clow a glare at about 75% power. Not enough to make him wither into dust exactly, but enough to convey his rather extreme irritation. He stands upright then, clasping hands behind his head. "So... this is Xanadu. It's huge. I heard there's a zoo and stuff too, all sorts of crazy things. This is... this is really real, isn't it? As real anything else, at least."

Not that he'd know if it was an illusion. The thought depresses him pretty intensely.

Clow is impervious to glares, but not to depression or questions. "If it's an illusion, I certainly can't tell."

He thinks it's more likely to be a dream, however - which makes it as real as anything else, at least to him.

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