Winter Flowers 7: Winter [T&E drabble fic]

[aileth]

Number seven here.

Title: Winter
Fandom: CCS
Characters/Pairing: Tomoyo, Eriol, Spinel, Nakuru, Yue, Kerberos
Rating: G
Note: Seven of ten. Takes place in England and... Japan or England?... We don't know...

Eriol couldn't remain quiet. He couldn't move either. His brain was paralyzed, he didn't know what to do. The night had come and Tomoyo's fever continued to be too high and he felt completely helpless. He couldn't even remove a simple fever as he used to, he didn't have the power anymore. He even began to consider if it had been such a good idea to have discarded his powers so lightly.

He rose, he couldn't sit any longer. He went to the door of the room and then turned back to the sofa. He turned and walked to the window and stopped in front of it. He put his forehead against the cold glass, trying to still his mind. Outside, snow started falling. He looked at the snow, thinking if its coldness could alleviate the fever of the girl lying in the other room. Suddenly, the image of the night that Clow died came to his mind. That night it had also snowed softly.

It was a winter night and outside snow started falling. Clow was sitting in the high chair that was also a favourite of himself. Beside him were Kerberos and Yue. He had just told them that he was going to die that day and they were shocked, they still thought it was one of the pranks of that prankster mage. When they saw his words wouldn't change, their faces began to show fear and, lastly, despair. Kerberos kept asking for an explanation for that sudden announcement and Yue begged him not to say those things. Yes, they were both scared. But Yue was even more so. He had loved Clow too much and couldn't bear the thought of separation from him. To not see him ever again was unthinkable. Clow took Yue's face in his hands. Yue's face was contorted by the anguish. He begged Clow not to leave him, not to abandon him. It was painful to look into that face so full of love and fear for him. He was distressed for having to leave them, but he must do it. Kerberos had given up at last seeing that he wouldn't make him change his mind even if he insisted for hours on end. But Yue was still looking at him with that face full of indescribable pain and despair, still begging him. They'll understand someday. That's what he thought.

Why did he remember that at that moment? What made him remember? He was staring out at the snow and thinking about Tomoyo.

And then it hit him. On the glass illuminated by the light of the room, his own face was reflected. And it had the same expression of pain and despair he saw that day in Yue's face when he told them he was going to die. That unimaginable pain and despair of loosing the person he loved the most was now on his own reflection. Now at last he could understand Yue's feelings. He could understand the damage he'd caused and he'd never be able to fix it. He wasn't Clow anymore, and all that he had been was left in the past along with him.

A soft knock was heard on the door and Spinel went into the room. Eriol didn't turn to look at him.

"The fever seems to have gone down at last. She's awake now if you want to see her." He told him and then left the room, leaving the door open. Eriol followed him after composing his face.

"Thanks for letting me know." He told Spinel when he found him waiting at the door of Tomoyo's room.

Eriol went in and walked toward the figure lying on the bed. Nakuru rose from her post by the bedside she hadn't left while the fever lasted. She smiled at Eriol and left the room closing the door softly behind her. Eriol sat in the chair Nakuru had vacated. Tomoyo looked at him and smiled weakly. Her eyes felt heavy and she felt very weak. Eriol took her hand in his.

"How do you feel?" He asked.

"As if I had swum in a frozen lake with my clothes on." She answered with a weak voice, smiling. "Tired but fine."

"Rest. Don't make any efforts. You had a very high fever, you must rest now."

She nodded and closed her eyes. Eriol watched over her until she fell asleep. He noticed he was holding his breath and let it escape in a sigh of relief. She was fine. Nothing had happened this time, but if it had, what would have happened to him? He no longer had the power to protect the person he loved from any accidents. He must be more careful from now on. And the next time he saw Yue, he must apologize to him for the way he treated him that winter night.