Title: Untitled/Trio (that's the working title, but I don't like it. Suggestions welcome.)
When: If I tried, I could probably figure out a year, but it happens right around when Utako and Akira get married (the events of the last 2 chapters of 20 Mensou ni Onegai!!). Nevermind that the end of the world is probably happening around the same time. ^^;;
What: Suoh, Nokoru and Nagisa working out their relationships.
Status: In Progress
Notes: I've seen the problem of Suoh's relationship with Nagisa (which gets in the way of him having a relationship with Nokoru) resolved a number of ways. She's been murdered, she's broken up with him, she's been ignored, or Suoh and Nokoru just remained friends. But somehow.. I've never really found those scenarios completely satisfying. Suoh with just Nokoru would eventually snap, I think, because the guy is just too adorably evil for his own good. Suoh with just Nagisa would have a peaceful, relatively boring life (as boring as one could get who still hangs around with an Imonoyama during work hours). No fun there. So what to do but get them all together?

It had been a lovely, if showy, wedding. Everyone agreed on that -- 'What a lovely wedding,' they all said to each other. But such a thing was hardly a surprise; the Ohkawas had money to burn, and Utako's taste had always run to the lavish. Not that she and Akira had really been paying much attention to things after the ceremony. Still, things had gone off without a hitch -- the bride's bouquet suddenly disappearing halfway through the reception really couldn't count as a /hitch/.

In the limo on the way home, however, Azuya Nagisa was not dwelling on those pleasant details. Nor was she comparing them to the as yet fuzzy plans she'd been working out for her own wedding. Instead, she was curled up in one corner of the seat, her eyes closed, pretending to be asleep. This was necessary; awake, the two men in the car would feel the need to include her in the conversation, making thinking virtually impossible. Now, only partially listening to Suoh and Nokoru's quiet discussion, she was able to completely consider the things she had learned earlier.

"They must be at the airport by now," Suoh murmured, glancing at the dozing bridesmaid beside him.

Nokoru nodded. "Yes.. the flight leaves in about an hour."

The reception had been where it had finally happened. Courtesy demanded that the young Imonoyama dance with virtually every woman there, and she was no exception. She, at least, was considered safe; as difficult to read as she found Nokoru most of the time, his relief had been evident. Here was someone he didn't have to be on his guard with -- she wasn't going to try and hit on him, or set him up with some of her female relatives. He could even be quiet for a change, which is how it had happened. How she had finally managed to confirm what she had suspected for.. years, now.

Suoh held his watch up, looking at the time. "How long did you arrange for them to be gone?"

Nokoru's somewhat self-imposed isolation was something that Nagisa had taken note of shortly after meeting him. Very few were admitted to his inner circle. To date, she was only aware of two -- Suoh and Akira. Utako and herself were not. They were tolerated, admired, flattered.. treated with the same unfailing cordiality that he showed to all women, regardless of station. He trusted them, she knew, but not in the same way he trusted Akira or Suoh. It had never particularly bothered her; it still didn't. Akira was his good friend, and Suoh was.. well, it was hard to describe exactly what Suoh was. His best friend, his bodyguard, the one person he never really had to explain his feelings to.

She knew that she was often more of a mystery to Suoh than Nokoru was. But that, she felt, was as it should be. A man shouldn't be able to read his wife's mind. The opposite was true for her; she found Suoh was like an open book, and she could read more from a single half-frown of his than she could from a year of Nokoru's smiles and gestures. So it had been a relatively simple task to discover how he really felt about his charge, and fairly unsurprising when she had finally decided, four years ago, that Suoh was as much in love with Imonoyama Nokoru as he was with her.

"Two weeks," was the reply from the blonde, his attention momentarily distracted by looking out of the window.

Suoh echoed approvingly, "Two weeks.. that ought to be long enough for Ijyuin and Utako-san to settle into their new home. I'm sure Ijyuin's mothers will enjoy New York very much."

She hadn't bothered to inform him of this fact, and she still wasn't entirely sure whether or not he was aware of it himself. Certainly the idea of acting on it had never crossed his mind. Nagisa, though, had devoted a great deal of thought to the matter -- discovering that the man you've been in love with since you were five has feelings for someone else too is not something to be taken lightly. She'd had a long time to consider it, however, and eventually she had decided that she would just have to live with it. What Suoh felt for Nokoru was obviously an integral part of him, something that couldn't be taken away or destroyed.

The question of what Nokoru felt for Suoh was more difficult to answer. Once she had decided to accept Suoh's feelings, Nagisa had made it her business to discover if they were reciprocated. Unfortunately, this was easier said than done. Nokoru was more a part of the adult world than he had ever been, and chances to observe him and Suoh in a non-public setting were quite rare. There was always someone there, always some reason for him to be wearing that mask of geniality. And to make matters more difficult, about the only conclusion she had ever managed to draw was that she couldn't predict his actions in the least.

Nokoru smiled contentedly at the window, his blue eyes scanning the still partially populated streets as they drove past. "I'm sure they will."

Suoh still looked a little bit puzzled. "I'm still not sure how you convinced Utako-san that Ijyuin's mothers should have a honeymoon trip and not her."

Tonight, however.. they had danced only half a song, Suoh cutting in politely part of the way through. Perhaps it had been the wine (though she'd only seen him take one glass); perhaps it had been the fact that a lack of conversation allowed his thoughts to wander -- whatever caused it, Nagisa had seen the emotions that flashed over Nokoru's face when Suoh had put his arms around her. Pain, longing, resignation, and finally a determination that faded to his normal pleasant expression. It had all happened so quickly that if she hadn't been watching for such a thing, she wouldn't have believed it. The unexpected answer to her question had thrown her into a whirl of confusion only now starting to clear. Her conversation for the remainder of the reception had been distinctly lacking, a fact that a number of people had noticed, but attributed to exhaustion.

Now that she was in possession of all of the information, she simply had to decide what to do with it. Nothing, which had been an option before, was no longer possible -- Nokoru was obviously suffering, and if Suoh was aware of his own feelings, he was probably suffering too. She could step aside and let the two of them be together.. but again, that wasn't really an option, and never had been. Suoh did love her too, so losing her would not solve the problem.. and, regardless, she was not so selfless as all that. Sharing had possibilities. In a way, she'd been sharing him ever since they met, after all. And there was still the uneasy question that lingered -- though sure of what she had seen, was she interpreting it correctly?

Nokoru shifted his attention back to the interior of the limo, smiling one of those patently angelic smiles of his. "It wasn't that hard," he grinned.

Suoh, susceptible to those smiles as always, rather hurriedly shook his head, turning his own attention to the outside world flashing by. "I don't think I need to know the details."

Nagisa cracked her eyes open just enough to see Nokoru sitting across from her. There hadn't been any jealousy in the look she'd caught, she was sure of that. And he had been looking at Suoh, that was also certain. There just weren't any other people close enough to them when it had happened. She was as positive of her conclusion as she could be when it involved Nokoru. Still.. sharing.. she shivered at the implications, and was then abruptly shaken from her reverie by the two coats which were immediately thrust in her direction as a replacement for the thin shawl that went with her dress. The coats and the almost identical looks of concern on both faces struck her as incredibly funny after all of the serious contemplation of the night, and she quietly dissolved into giggles, much to the surprise of both Suoh and Nokoru. The absurdity of the situation was suddenly less frightening, and several things were now clear. She would talk to Nokoru, alone, and together they would decide what to do with Suoh. Between the two of them they would surely be able to come up with a workable solution.

Nagisa sat at her window, staring out at the dark and the streetlights as she brushed her long hair. It had been nearly a month since the wedding, since she'd decided to talk to Nokoru about Suoh, and she was beginning to think she'd never be able to. Getting Nokoru alone had turned out to be difficult enough, but getting him alone without Suoh knowing about it had proven to be impossible. And Suoh couldn't know about it. Not until after.

A car drove slowly down the street, unusual for this time of night in a sleepy neighborhood like this. Regardless, occupied by her thoughts, Nagisa paid it little attention until it came to a complete stop at the edge of the road in front of her house. Frowning, she lowered the brush to the sill as she leaned forward, watching as a door opened and to her complete amazement, Imonoyama Nokoru stepped out. Then the car was gone and he was standing there alone on the sidewalk. She sat frozen, in stunned silence, until he -- somehow -- looked up and unerringly towards her window with a cheerful smile.

As Nagisa hurried downstairs to let Nokoru in, her mind was racing, but not in any useful manner. In fact, it was racing in a most unuseful manner, as she skidded ungracefully to a stop moments before crashing into the door. After taking a second to compose herself, then take a few additional deep breaths, and push her loose hair back over her shoulders, she pulled the front door open. "I..Imonoyama-san! What a surprise! Please, come in." Her usual balance returned, she carefully stepped backwards, over the shoes near the door, leaving the young man room to enter.

Nokoru waited until the way was clear before coming inside; he closed the door carefully behind himself and handed his coat to the waiting Nagisa before starting to take off his shoes. "I apologize for arriving so late," he said quietly. "But I just suddenly had a feeling that you needed to talk to me."

Nagisa was grateful for the distraction of putting away the coat, as it gave her an opportunity to hide her embarrassed expression. Nokoru's damsel-in-distress radar was legendary, but it was still disconcerting having it used so obviously on herself. "I have been wanting to speak to you about something," she admitted after a moment, "so the lateness is excusable. Come and have a seat in the living room, and I'll get us some tea."

"Certainly," Nokoru agreed cheerfully, giving Nagisa no hint as to whether or not he'd deduced the topic to be discussed as well as the need for a discussion. He followed her to the living room, where she left him sitting on the sofa as she continued into the kitchen.

When she returned some minutes later with the tea and a bag of cookies, he was holding in his hands a picture that had been on one of the tables. A glance at the frame told her which one it was, so she didn't remark upon it until she'd set down her burden on the low table and settled on her knees next to it. "I think that picture came out best out of all of the ones Utako took that day. She gave it to me after they were developed.. she said she didn't have enough room in her albums for them all."

Nokoru nodded in agreement as he set the picture back where it had been sitting. "It's a good shot of the three of us."

As he slid off of the couch to join her on the floor, Nagisa poured out the tea in silence, trying to keep her hands steady. She was convinced now that he knew -- the way he had said 'the three of us' couldn't be a coincidence. But now, now that it had finally come to the point of discussing it, she found herself nearly trembling with fear. What a foolish idea it had been, to talk about it! There was no good solution to the problem, so it would be better just to ignore it.

When she looked up again, she found Nokoru studying her expression intently, and she quickly averted her eyes, blushing for no reason immediately identifiable. Too muddled now to speak, she attempted to hide her turmoil by picking up the tea and sipping at it.

"Nagisa-san," Nokoru began, breaking the lengthening silence quietly and with his usual air of confidence. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, bracing for what would come next. "When I was a child, before I started school, I knew very few people beyond my family. I didn't question this, and by the time I was old enough to go to school, I understood that as the child of a powerful family, I was a potential weakness -- a target. Any friends I would have might also become targets, because then they would have a clear connection to my family."

Nagisa's eyes opened and she turned her head; without words still, her expression was one of surprise as Nokoru went on. That hadn't been what she'd expected hear.

"So I was careful not to pay any attentions to one child that I didn't to another. No one was invited over to play, no one person walked with me around the campus, and I ate lunch with everyone who dropped by." Nokoru smiled, just the barest touch of regret in his face as he added musingly, "I suppose that may be why my family is so fond of elaborate plans and big parties. Small, private meetings were always seen as a danger. Anyway, before I get distracted -- for all intents and purposes I was alone, but it was okay, because I knew that I was protecting them all."

Nagisa felt abruptly that she needed to speak, to acknowledge the confidence with some appropriate remark. In the end, however, she murmured (lamely, she thought), "I see. I'm.. sorry."

Nokoru set his cup down to watch her closely again, opening his mouth to ask a question before changing his mind. "Mmm. Things were different, though, after I met Suoh. I won't trouble you with the details, but from then on, I had someone else. Someone I could talk to, someone to laugh with -- someone who might be a target, but who could look out for himself. It let me relax a little. When Ijyuin came to the school, I found that he could watch out for himself too, and he joined us."

"But.." Nagisa started, before her sense of propriety asserted itself again and cut off her sentence before it got any further.

Nokoru finished it anyway, close enough to what she'd been thinking that she pinkened again. ".. my relationship with him isn't the same as it is with Suoh? Mm.. not quite. There are reasons for that."

Nagisa's eyes darted momentarily to the picture that had been the object of attention earlier. "Utako-san is a very determined woman."

Nokoru was visibly startled, blinking his blue eyes at the young woman before he recovered and began to laugh. "That about sums it up." His serious expression returned as suddenly as it departed, and he leaned closer to her. "Nagisa-san, I know Suoh well enough to know that I alone can't make him happy. You are very good for him, which is why I had him meet you in the first place. And I know that you know that we've been sharing him for years. But," he sighed, and for the first time that Nagisa could remember, he looked genuinely uncertain. "Now that we're all grown up.. I.."

"You wonder how we can go on sharing him equally if he's married to me," Nagisa concluded quietly as Nokoru trailed off into an embarrassed chuckle. "Because I'll have a part of him that you wouldn't. And," she admitted this after fortifying herself with a gulp of air, "it wouldn't be fair, because he was yours first. I-- do you have an idea? Because I don't."

Nokoru nodded, startled again, but with equilibrium restored. "I've been thinking about it for a while. And the best I've come up with are two possibilities. The first is to let things go on as they are. You two will get married, and be tremendously happy, and I'll be happy for both of you." He picked up one of the cookies and broke off a piece before describing the other option. "The second idea is.. not perfect. And it's selfish. But I think you'll understand, so it's okay if I tell you."

Even without looking up, Nagisa could tell he was growing nervous again, and even before he managed to get to the point, she decided it must be something outrageous.

"Since the first solution is to share him unequally, the second is to do it by halves. The only problem is that.. if you two are married, I can't see Suoh doing that, even if he-- Ah, anyway, if you were married to /me/, he wouldn't be betraying either of us by being with both of us." Nokoru stuffed the rest of the cookie into his mouth, which forced him to stop speaking.