storypaint (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
storypaint) wrote2009-05-22 03:36 pm
storypaint) wrote2009-05-22 03:36 pm
Optimist's Ending (Nakuru/Touya)
Title: Optimist's Ending
Length: 680
Prompt: Nakuru/Touya for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lady_kikyou
Pairing: slight Nakuru/Touya; implied Touya/Yukito
Other: Post-apocalyptic AU.
Excerpt: "I'm sure he does!" Nakuru said, grabbing Touya's hands and staring at him, conviction shining in his eyes. "He needs me to take care of him."
At dawn on the third day of the second month since the world had come to a pause, Touya woke to soft humming, and he lay there for a moment with his eyes shut, listening. The humming turned into quiet singing, half in English and half still humming, because Nakuru didn't know all the words.
"Good morning, Touya-kun!" she said cheerfully when he opened his eyes a little. She was sitting by the remnants of the fire and tearing strips from the bottom of her skirt, punctuating the soft sounds of ripping with more humming.
Touya grunted. He wanted to protest the "good" but he knew that a discussion like that would derail in a moment and then they'd never get going. He sat up, rubbing his head.
"What are you doing?"
"Making bandages," Nakuru said cheerfully, folding another strip and tucking it into her backpack. "I think we might need them when we get home."
"Why?"
"For Eriol," she said, her voice still cheerful, but he could see the way her hand tightened, just a moment. He reached over and took the next strip from her.
He wrapped it around his hand thoughtfully and didn't look at her. "So you think he's alive, then?"
"I know!" she replied cheerfully, and he actually bit his tongue before speaking. He just couldn't help it; Nakuru's optimism got on his nerves, but he realized, traveling with her, that he had no right to take it away. He'd hurt her already, too many times, and he didn't want her to leave.
They were almost friends, after all. It had taken a lot to make that happen.
"If Eriol were dead," she said, "I would be dead too. So I know he's alive. But I think he's hurting."
Touya coughed. He thought about Yukito-- about the last glimpse of Yukito he had seen, and the light that shown for a moment in eyes sudden silver, before they faded. If Yue were here, then he could know Sakura was alive too.
"Maybe he misses you," he said.
"I'm sure he does!" Nakuru said, grabbing Touya's hands and staring at him, conviction shining in his eyes. "He needs me to take care of him."
From what Touya knew, Eriol took care of Nakuru, not the other way around, but he kept that to himself too. He smiled a little.
"Well, let's go find him, then, shall we?"
She pulled him from his sleeping bag and whirled around with him in a circle, eyes bright. Touya watched for broken glass and inconvenient rocks, but he let her guide him. Nakuru's ebullience was either something you could push through, with a lot of effort, or endure, and he had no energy for fighting her anymore. She was an ally in this world suddenly dangerous, and sometimes he was grateful for her company.
They packed up camp and Touya checked the gun before they went, examining for wear and tear and dampness. One time-- one time they had been caught off guard by one of the creatures, and the gun had jammed, and they both still bore scars from that. Nakuru's magic didn't work as well in her false form, and she couldn't spend a lot of time in her true form this far away from Eriol. That scrape had taken days to recover from, and after that, Touya was always very careful.
"Let's go, then," he said, returning it to its holster, and Nakuru squealed joyfully, like she did every day, and took off down the deserted street, running with the wind at her back and caution elsewhere.
He let her run for a little bit, until he had to jog to catch up. This was the safest time to travel for them; the few humans that remained generally went to ground with the morning light, and the monsters liked to sneak up on their prey, which was difficult when the sun was bright.
"Let's go home, Touya-kun!" she breathed in his ear, and for the first time since the world had changed, he smiled.
Length: 680
Prompt: Nakuru/Touya for
lady_kikyouPairing: slight Nakuru/Touya; implied Touya/Yukito
Other: Post-apocalyptic AU.
Excerpt: "I'm sure he does!" Nakuru said, grabbing Touya's hands and staring at him, conviction shining in his eyes. "He needs me to take care of him."
At dawn on the third day of the second month since the world had come to a pause, Touya woke to soft humming, and he lay there for a moment with his eyes shut, listening. The humming turned into quiet singing, half in English and half still humming, because Nakuru didn't know all the words.
"Good morning, Touya-kun!" she said cheerfully when he opened his eyes a little. She was sitting by the remnants of the fire and tearing strips from the bottom of her skirt, punctuating the soft sounds of ripping with more humming.
Touya grunted. He wanted to protest the "good" but he knew that a discussion like that would derail in a moment and then they'd never get going. He sat up, rubbing his head.
"What are you doing?"
"Making bandages," Nakuru said cheerfully, folding another strip and tucking it into her backpack. "I think we might need them when we get home."
"Why?"
"For Eriol," she said, her voice still cheerful, but he could see the way her hand tightened, just a moment. He reached over and took the next strip from her.
He wrapped it around his hand thoughtfully and didn't look at her. "So you think he's alive, then?"
"I know!" she replied cheerfully, and he actually bit his tongue before speaking. He just couldn't help it; Nakuru's optimism got on his nerves, but he realized, traveling with her, that he had no right to take it away. He'd hurt her already, too many times, and he didn't want her to leave.
They were almost friends, after all. It had taken a lot to make that happen.
"If Eriol were dead," she said, "I would be dead too. So I know he's alive. But I think he's hurting."
Touya coughed. He thought about Yukito-- about the last glimpse of Yukito he had seen, and the light that shown for a moment in eyes sudden silver, before they faded. If Yue were here, then he could know Sakura was alive too.
"Maybe he misses you," he said.
"I'm sure he does!" Nakuru said, grabbing Touya's hands and staring at him, conviction shining in his eyes. "He needs me to take care of him."
From what Touya knew, Eriol took care of Nakuru, not the other way around, but he kept that to himself too. He smiled a little.
"Well, let's go find him, then, shall we?"
She pulled him from his sleeping bag and whirled around with him in a circle, eyes bright. Touya watched for broken glass and inconvenient rocks, but he let her guide him. Nakuru's ebullience was either something you could push through, with a lot of effort, or endure, and he had no energy for fighting her anymore. She was an ally in this world suddenly dangerous, and sometimes he was grateful for her company.
They packed up camp and Touya checked the gun before they went, examining for wear and tear and dampness. One time-- one time they had been caught off guard by one of the creatures, and the gun had jammed, and they both still bore scars from that. Nakuru's magic didn't work as well in her false form, and she couldn't spend a lot of time in her true form this far away from Eriol. That scrape had taken days to recover from, and after that, Touya was always very careful.
"Let's go, then," he said, returning it to its holster, and Nakuru squealed joyfully, like she did every day, and took off down the deserted street, running with the wind at her back and caution elsewhere.
He let her run for a little bit, until he had to jog to catch up. This was the safest time to travel for them; the few humans that remained generally went to ground with the morning light, and the monsters liked to sneak up on their prey, which was difficult when the sun was bright.
"Let's go home, Touya-kun!" she breathed in his ear, and for the first time since the world had changed, he smiled.
no subject
and for the first time since the world had changed, he smiled.
And so did I :).
no subject