Yukito did not perceive magic, as his other self did. That this often meant he did not perceive his other self was something he put down as one of life’s little ironies.

That did not stop him from observing the results of magic.

When shimmers of heat danced around the Kinomotos’ clothesline on a cool, cloudy day, he didn’t need anyone to tell him that Sakura-chan was experimenting with Fiery to dry the clothes before the rain came. He figured that out even before he helped patch the scorch on Touya’s jeans.

When time flickered and he suddenly found himself elsewhere, he could guess that Yue had decided Sakura-chan needed him, even without the clue of Sakura herself, looking anxious and asking if she’d interrupted anything.

And although he’d never seen spirits or ghosts himself, he knew what it looked like when Touya was seeing them.

He thought perhaps that was why he was the first one to notice.

Touya’s head lifted from his notebook a second before the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it.”

The click of the door opening was followed by the bright sound of Sakura-chan’s voice. The progression was so familiar from two years ago that Yukito didn’t actually notice until the third time it happened.

A classmate dashed through crowded halls to catch Touya’s shoulder urgently. “Kinomoto-kun! The last lecture, can I borrow your notes?”

Yukito paused as Touya fished out his notes and handed them to Suiko-san. She had come from directly behind them, but Touya hadn’t seemed at all surprised when she grabbed him.

“I need them back by Friday,” Touya called after Suiko-san as she sprinted off again.

After that, Yukito watched more closely.

Touya paused with his hand on the gate.

“To-ya?” Yukito cocked his head. They’d gone home this way so that they could stop into see Touya’s father.

“Mm, I was just wondering if Kaa-san was visiting today.” Touya’s mouth tilted a little wryly. “You know he always feels a little weird about talking to her when I can’t see her any more.”

That was true enough, but Yukito was starting to wonder whether Oji-san would keep needing to worry about that.

Yukito paid some careful attention to how he felt, after that. If Touya’s magic was returning, did that mean something had gone wrong? Was Yue going to starve, and Yukito with him, again?

He didn’t feel any more than usually tired or hungry, though. Neither Sakura nor Kero-chan gave him any strange or concerned looks.

Finally he chose a day when Touya had an evening lab and went out into their yard to lie back in the grass and look up at the moon. After a while he closed his eyes and just listened to his own breath.

This didn’t always work. He was fairly sure Yue had to be willing to make an effort too.

For a long time there was only the rush of his breath in and out, and the cool darkness behind his eyelids. Finally, though, he felt the odd echo in his heart that he’d been waiting for. When Touya asked, Yukito had told him it was like listening to music and not being quite sure whether there was one violin or two playing. He wondered, sometimes, whether it was as disconcerting for Yue as it was for him.

Touya, he thought. Magic. He let the thoughts go like dandelion puff from an open hand.

What came back was stronger than usual, like a thread of cool water in a warm pool. Security. Surety.

He also thought Yue might be puzzled, but since he was puzzled too it was harder to tell.

An image of Sakura-chan floated through his head.

Ah. Perhaps Yue had started to draw on his Master’s magic, then? Yukito felt a bit wistful at that thought. That was foolish, though; he shouldn’t be so selfish as to grudge the return of Touya’s magic just so that he could keep that particular connection. It wasn’t like there weren’t others, between them.

Abruptly enough to make him gasp, the echo was gone and he was staring up at the moon, small and high in the sky. He huffed a soft laugh. Perhaps he hadn’t been the only one feeling wistful. Or feeling embarrassed about it.

Yukito levered himself up, brushing grass off. Whatever was happening, Yue didn’t think it was any problem for them. That was all he needed to know. If Touya’s magic really was returning, they could reassure him that it was entirely a good thing.

A fugitive twinge caught his heart.

Or someone’s heart, anyway.

Yukito looked up at the moon, frowning. Perhaps he would have to try Yue again later, on the subject of Touya.

A second of chill annoyance brushed over him, and he smiled. Fortunately, he’d gotten more of the stubbornness than Yue had.

End

A/N: The total erasure of Touya’s magic is one of those little things that bugs me. It runs against the general flow of how magic is shown to work in the CCS-verse, with nary a scrap of explanation why. (Besides the basic CLAMP-logic that angst > plot.) This being the case, I choose to believe that Sakura, the one who tells the readers that Touya’s magic is gone for good, was mistaken.