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The Runner Up	By : HauntedReality Category: +. to F > Ayashi no Ceres Views: 2840 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Ayashi no Ceres, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-The Runner Up
- 1
DISCLAIMER: These people belong to someone else. I�ve only
manipulated them for my own ends.

AUTHOR�S NOTE: I just watched this series, and I fell so in
love with Yuuhi that I felt the need to write a fanfic for him. So, obviously
this is my first Ayashi no Ceres fic.
Be gentle :) And please review!

Oh, and special thanks to Amyfushigiyugi,
who encouraged to the point of threatening me to watch this particular anime.
Check out her website Anime Defiance http://animedefiance.com/index.php
where you can get information on her fanfictions as
well as *GASP!* her book!

Also thanks to BelleDayNight for a
little pre-post reading and advice.

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�It should be raining,� the sandy haired man thought as he
stood on a hilltop in the afternoon sun.

�But, no, there isn�t even a cloud in the sky. Well, okay,
there is one overly puffy white bit of fluff over there, but that is hardly the
point. This isn�t the time for sunshine. The grass shouldn�t be this lush and
green. The sky shouldn�t be beaming with vibrancy and life when we are here to
mourn death...not when she is
hurting.�

Yuuhi turned his head toward the white marble headstone, which
touchingly read, �Touya, who was destined to love and be loved in return.�

�I can�t argue with that. Touya was quite literally born to
be with Aya. I was born to...I don�t know make pastries, salads, soups,
entrees? As much as she loves my cooking, I can see why she chose him. Their
relationship played out like a romance novel, and he was the hero. I guess that
makes me a supporting character or maybe just the comic relief.

�Great. Touya dies, and I am pitying
myself. Get it together, Yuuhi, she needs you more now than ever.�

His sad chestnut eyes flickered to where Aya stood. She was
adorned in a long black kimono, accessorized with black lace gloves and a large
hat that shaded her normally brilliant blue eyes from view.

�She is so beautiful. Even now, so full of pain and loss,
she looks like an angel. Heh!� he mentally laughed at himself with just a hint
of bitterness. �No, I guess after seeing her as an angel I can hardly say that.
Ceres is gone now. She looks like Aya, and she couldn�t be more human or more
perfect.�

There was a gentle tug at his dress slacks that pulled him
out of his thoughts and down to a pair of wide, shimmering green eyes looking up
at him in a silent request. It wasn�t the first time he had been in this
situation. She knew very well she could wrap him around her little finger, and
often managed to worm her way into his arms whenever she was tired.

This time was no exception as he acquiesced to her unspoken
signals. Bending over, he scooped the small, awaiting girl into his muscular arms.
She snuggled herself into a familiar position and allowed her heavy lids to slide
open and closed several times before finally remaining shut. The rhythmic
breathing that fanned warmly against his neck told him she had fallen asleep.

�Has it really been five years since the day you were born?
I remember pacing outside the delivery room, jumping at every sound I heard
inside. Even Touya was more relaxed than I was, and his calm demeanor was
severely shaken that day. When the nurse let us go in one by one, I was just
after Touya. And as soon as I saw you I knew I could never let anything bad
happen to you.

�I guess I�m not doing so well on that front right now.�
Yuuhi looked up as Aya placed a single shell on top of Touya�s headstone. He
wasn�t sure what significance the action held, but the importance was clear as
salty splashes fell from her eyes to wet the cold stone.

Unable to comfort Aya, he hugged her daughter�s sleeping
form closer. �Except for the hue of your eyes, you look exactly like your
mother. You even have the same spirit, so full of love and strength, but still
so sensitive.�

His eyes followed Aya as she then walked to her father�s
tomb to place a flower upon it. �You share so much. I just wish you didn�t have
to share losing your fathers too.�

The freshly excavated earth at Touya�s tombstone was
adjacent to the longer resting plots for Aya�s father and brother. �Aki... How
many tears did she shed for you that day? How many more will she shed in the
coming weeks?� His grip on the sleeping girl remained gentle, but he wanted to
squeeze his fists tight and scream at the heavens for taking away another piece
of his Aya�s heart.

The service was already over. Alec had come to pay his
respects and left as had some of the other remaining Mikages. A look of guilt
featured prominently in the blonde�s tortured eyes, but those sins had long
been forgiven, if not forgotten. Shouta, Suzumi, and Mrs. Q were escorting
Aya�s mother back to the car. Both she and Shouta had made full recoveries as
far as their physical health was concerned. The rest of the Aogiri family was
already on their way back to the main house where they were providing lunch to
the grieving.

It would be one of the rare occasions where Yuuhi was not
the one preparing the meal. Usually having someone else cook only irritated him
or even made him jealous, but today he was glad for the break. He didn�t feel
much like cooking. He didn�t feel much like doing anything.

�Ready?� asked the girl, no woman, standing beside him overlooking
her dead husband�s grave.

�Yes,� Yuuhi said in a quiet voice as they turned to follow
the other departing visitors.

�Yes? She loses the love of her life and your words of
comfort to her are, �yes�? Baka!� he scolded himself as he opened the car door
for her to enter before settling the strawberry blonde clinging to his shoulder
into her seat in the back.

�Thank you, Yuuhi,� Aya said while her gaze was fixed
steadily upon the point they had just left even though it was not visible from the
car.

�Of course, you shouldn�t have to suffer Mrs. Q�s driving
today.�

�BAKA!� he shouted at himself as soon as the jest left his
lips, but to his surprise she laughed pleasantly. It wasn�t the childish,
innocent laugh he heard her emit in the early days of knowing her, nor was it a
bitter, sorrowful laugh like those Ceres would sometimes release. It was clear
and joyful and full of understanding.

�You always could make me laugh, Yuuhi. Thank you for that
too.� Before he could think of something to say that wouldn�t have him
immediately reprimanding himself, he was surprised by the feeling of her
slipping her delicate hand into his larger one. He looked down at the sign of
affection in surprise and squeezed his fingers tightly around hers.

�Aya, I...� he wasn�t sure what to say. What could he say?

�We both knew it was coming,� she spoke while staring
absently ahead as if she hadn�t heard him begin.

�Does she mean her and Touya, or her and me?� he wondered as
he waited for her to continue.

�Once everything was over, and Ceres was finally at rest, it
seemed like our lives were just beginning. Touya and I could finally be
together. He had his memories restored, and a life was growing out of our
love,� she smiled with a fraction of the brilliance her smile usually carried
before resuming her explanation.

�But the manna was gone. It was what created Touya and
without it he wasn�t just human; he was dying. We rarely spoke of it.� She
released a breath of air that fell somewhere between a laugh and a heavy sigh.
�Probably because I cried every time he tried. Still, we both knew it was
coming.

�Honestly, I thought he only had a year or two. It was a
miracle that he lived as long as he did. Maybe Ceres is still watching over me
somehow.� Aya sniffled, and Yuuhi squeezed her hand supportively before handing
her a tissue. �Thank you, again.�

She smiled prettily at him, and it almost broke his heart as
he saw all the emotions rolling through her large, sapphire eyes. �I know I
shouldn�t be crying. Touya would want me to be happy...he told me to be happy.
But since when have I been able to do what I was told anyway?�

It was Yuuhi�s turn to smile through his pain now. �Never,�
he responded as if on cue. He lifted his other hand to brush away some of the
tears that were streaming down her rounded cheeks.

�Aya/Yuuhi,� they said at the same time.

�Go ahead,� he offered.

�No, you first,� she insisted.

�I�m sorry about Touya. Even if you knew it was coming, you
deserved better--you both did.�

Fresh tears overflowed as she nodded in understanding. �I�m
sorry too, Yuuhi.�

Surprise flashed across his eyes, and he cupped a hand under
her chin to lift her head back up to eye-level. �What reason could you possibly
have for being sorry for me right now?�

�It has been six years since we met, Yuuhi. You haven�t said
so since the day Aki died and Ceres was freed, but you never stopped loving
me.�

Yuuhi drew a sharp breath and parted his lips to argue, but
she placed a single finger against his mouth to stop him. �You also deserved better
than watching the woman you loved with another man and his child while you
watched over and protected us. You stayed in our lives even though it caused
you pain.

�Over the years, you�ve become like a second father to my
daughter. Little Chidori loves you as much as her namesake once did. I just
wanted you to know how much that means to us...how much it means to me. And how
sorry I am things couldn�t have been different for you somehow. Maybe if the
other Chidori had lived...�

A pair of lips silenced her before she could finish the
thought. It wasn�t the first time they kissed. There had been a time when it
was the only way to transform her from Ceres back into Aya, but it had been a
long time since that was the case. She didn�t respond to the kiss, but she
didn�t push him away either. She simply allowed him to hold onto her.

Having his arms wrapped around her, even if it was slightly
awkward in the close quarters of the car, felt extremely comforting. No matter
how strong she tried to be for her daughter�s sake, the loss of Touya was
tearing her apart.

Finally, it was Yuuhi who released her and turned away.
�God, Aya, I�m sorry. I just...I just didn�t want you to finish that sentence,
I guess.� He stared out the window, so he wouldn�t have to meet her eyes.

They sat in silence until Yuuhi couldn�t stand it anymore.
In a very low voice that he was keeping steady with great effort, he spoke. �I
never loved Chidori--that Chidori--the
way she loved me. I felt bad about it especially after I couldn�t save her.� He
rose his hand up to quiet her when Aya began to protest. �But you just can�t
make yourself love someone...or stop loving someone. I understand that.�

�Yuuhi...� Aya bit her bottom lip lightly. It wasn�t that
she didn�t love Yuuhi, in fact, she very much did.
But what she felt for him and what she felt for Touya
had always been very different. But she saw the parallel he was drawing, and a
weight sat heavily in her stomach at the thought. But no words of comfort or
wisdom seemed adequate for the man who had given her so much and received so
little in return.

�We should go to the main house. Everyone will be wondering
where we are soon,� he said as he put the car into drive and a few raindrops
splashed on the windshield. �You�re late,� he thought ruefully.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

�Happy birthday, Chidori!� Yuuhi called out to the exuberant
young girl as he entered the small house she and Aya lived in after they had
moved following Touya�s death the previous year. Aya had claimed there were too
many sad memories clinging to the happy ones in that place. She needed a fresh
slate and so did her daughter, and it didn�t hurt that they were now much
closer to Suzami�s home.

�Uncle Yuuhi, what did you bring me!?!� Chidori called out
as she clenched and unclenched her fists in anticipation of grabbing the gift
he was carrying. It had taken months before she was smiling again after Touya�s
death, but there was something indomitable about her spirit, and she was once
again the ray of light Yuuhi remembered.

He handed the small girl a small box with brightly decorated
wrappings and over-the-top metallic ribbons and bows that he knew she would
adore as much, if not more, than the gift itself.

�It is a pony, so you better unwrap
it quickly before it suffocates,� he quipped with a wink, the way he always did
for her.

�Uncle Yuuhi, you�re silly!� she shouted before laying siege
upon the defenseless gift. Moments later, she was sitting in the tattered
remains of colorful ribbons and bows and paper, staring at pair of very
familiar crimson earrings.

�Ooooh!� she squealed in delight, before running to hug his
legs as she always did.

Aya had walked in from the kitchen in time to see the
present. A poignant look passed between her and Yuuhi as Chidori obliviously
danced around the room holding up her new jewelry to her ears. �Mommy, Mommy!
Look, they are just like yours! We are twins now!�

Aya�s heart pounded wildly in her chest over the display,
but she calmly knelt before the hyper girl, and dutifully adorned her with
Yuuhi�s gift. Chidori�s effervescent emerald eyes
shone with concern. �Mommy, are you sad because you didn�t get a gift?�

�Why would you say that, sweetheart?� Aya asked while
brushing a hand through the young girl�s long hair.

�Because you are crying,� she said as her normally bright
expression had changed to a more sullen one.

Aya�s fingertips unconsciously fell upon her face, feeling
the moisture there. �I�m crying because I�m happy,� Aya explained simply.

Chidori considered her words momentarily before her smile
lit back upon her cheerful countenance. �You are silly just like Uncle Yuuhi!�
Then she ran out of the room to find a mirror.

�Aya, I am sorry if I shouldn�t have...� Yuuhi began, but
this time it was his words that were cut off by an unexpected kiss. It was the
first time their lips had met since the day of Touya�s funeral. As his initial
shock wore off, he fell deeper into the kiss which had started with a needful
urgency and was now soft and loving.

�How long have I dreamed of being with Aya like this? How
many times have I served her and Chidori lunch at my restaurant and wanted them
to be there as my family and not as acquaintances? How many nights did she cry
on my shoulder after Touya was gone, and it took every fiber of my being to
resist slipping my arms around her and shutting out all her pain? But I
couldn�t.

�It was too much like the time Touya was given false
memories and it seemed over for them. She asked me to make her forget. Then it
was my pride that stopped me. This time I simply loved her too much to let her
forget Touya. She shouldn�t forget him. He was her first love and a good man.�

�It was the perfect gift, Yuuhi,� she said when they parted
for breath.

�Well, I do have one thing that I was hoping would top it,
but I guess I�ll let you be the judge.� Dropping down until he was on one knee,
he removed another small box from his pocket. This one was simple and black,
and when he opened it there was a sparkling diamond ring inside.

�Aya, I love you more than I can even say, and even if you
can�t return those feelings I would be the happiest man in the world if you
married me.�

�Baka!� she screamed as she fell to her knees and threw her
arms around the surprised man�s broad shoulders.

�Yuuhi, I do love you. I do.� Tears streamed from her eyes
as she buried her face against his neck.

His fingers removed the salty wetness, but continued to rest
upon her face. �You are crying again. I guess you must be pretty happy too,� he
joked lightly before she brought their lips crashing back together.

�Mommy? Uncle Yuuhi?� Chidori asked in surprise when she
pranced back into the room and found them huddled together on the floor.

�Chidori, Yuuhi just asked me to marry him,� Aya said with a
maternal smile and braced for whatever response would come from the young girl.

�It�s about time!� she said as she stomped her foot to show
that her declaration was final.

Her bold statement left the three of them laughing together
on the living room floor. Yuuhi�s own eyes were glistening from unshed tears.
�So this is how it feels to be the happiest man in the world after all.�

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AUTHOR�S NOTE: Review please!
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The Runner Up