Disclaimer: I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura, including its character. I also do not own the original story of the tree, the leaf, and the wind.

The tree, the leaf, and the wind

by missteddy88

My name was Eriol Hiiragizawa. I was the reincarnation of Clow Reed. After I fulfilled Clow Reed's mission for Sakura, I let myself indulged in my current self. I lived as a human being along with my childhood friends, which were my peer-groups: Sakura, Syaoran and Tomoyo. I was happy and comfortable with them. With them, I become my own self, not the Clow Reed, the strongest magician.

"Eriol!" Sakura's voice called me, brought me back to my senses.

I turned around to find the owner of the voice. Beside Sakura, Tomoyo walked like she was flying. Tomoyo was my best of best friend. I shared my dirty little secret with her. She was my partner-in-crime. She was beautiful, talented, smart. She was what every man would love to have. Yet, she always rejected every confession that she got. I was not sure what's the reason but I was happy every time she rejected every boys who confessed to her.

I was selfish. I had girlfriend. Yet I didn't want her to have a boyfriend of her own. I wanted to monopolize her, yet I was convenient with the current state. Me, her, best friend forever. What's wrong with that? We didn't need to ruin this friendship by turning it into a relationship. What if I broke up with her? I didn't want to lose my best friend. To whom shall I share my happiness and sadness then? So, let's just stay with this forever.

That's what I thought.

"Are you going to the club now?" Sakura asked.

"Yes," I answered her, then I faced Tomoyo. "You want to go back home?"

"Hmm… let's see. Somebody I know is about to face his last Japan Tennis League competition. I need to make sure he does not have a cold-feet and be in the hall-of shame Seijou High," Tomoyo said.

I smiled. I always loved this side of her. The side of her who understood me without me having the need to ask her to stay and wait for my Tennis practice. I loved my fortune goddess so much that I kiss her on her left cheek. "Thank you! I will wait you there!"

Tomoyo blushed and yelled enough for me to hear, "You pervert!" She touched her left cheek with her left hand.

I laughed and ran away to the Tennis court. My mood was good. I felt like flying to the seventh heaven everytime I successfully teased her.

In the tennis court, everybody was there already. I was late. Not that I would get any detention or what. Not to boast myself, but they said I was the best of all. I had won every tennis competition, which I got enrolled to, including international championship. I guessed they gave me a little bit of freedom as long as I won those.

Mika-san, the tennis club manager and my current girlfriend, saw me. She ran into me. She was beautiful, but in different kind of beautiful than Tomoyo. Tomoyo had good girl beauty. Mika-san had bad girl beauty. She was fun to be with, flirty, and seductive. But, I must say I would not trust her my dirty secrets. I would not show her my bad sides.

"Eriol-kun! You are late! I've been waiting for you!" She said, pouting her lips.

"I'm sorry. Class ended late," I said while I encircled my left hands around her shoulder and kissed her. "Do you miss me?"

"I always think about you, even during class!" Mika-san said playfully.

"Okay! I will get ready," I said and patted her butt.

"Love it when you do that," Mika-san said and gave me another passionate kiss.

A tennis ball was shoot in a speedy motion towards our direction, forcing us to break our kiss apart. I looked to the ball direction, looking for the owner of that shot.

Kaze Hasegawa glared at me furiously. His eyes looked at me as if saying, "Shoot! I missed it!" Kaze was not an easy rival for me. In fact, most of the time I won against him was by simple luck. I had to sweat much and wet the tennis court to win over him. Additionally, he was born in a rich traditional Japan family, educated with Japanese tradition, and the valedictorian for our annual commencement ceremony. Girls said he was one elegant handsome gentleman. Me thought not!

People said he loved Tomoyo Daidouji. Yep! My best friend, Tomoyo. Needless to say, he was one of those in Tomoyo's rejected list. But, among all of them, he was one persistent guy. He kept on hanging on his love for Tomoyo. Eventually, Tomoyo let him pouncing around her freely, as a student-council president (Tomoyo is the student council secretary). He had a different personality compared to me. I was seriously playful, loved to tease everybody, and lived a fun life. He was seriously studious, loved to help everybody, and lived a boring life.

Okay, I simply disliked him because of personality difference and because of that Tomoyo's fact.

I smiled devilishly to him. "Hasegawa-san, I see that you missed your ability to direct a ball correctly. Are you sure you are competent enough to join the Japan Tennis League?"

Kaze smirked. "I don't miss it. It's just that the object I'm trying to hit moved," and then he walked away.

Just like that, he ruined my used-to-be happy mood.

"For your information, I had enough waiting for you! Get ready fast and move your ass across the court quick!" Kaze yelled to me from across the court.

I turned to Mika-san, showing a disgusted look of "Why should I play with him AGAIN?"

Mika-san sighed. "Ask Coach. Somemore, he is the one of your level. Nobody is as good as both of you,"

Tomoyo walked to the tennis court calmly. She had found her regular place of where she usually watched the tennis game. I was about to come over to her when I saw Kaze approached her as she was nearer to Kaze compared to my distance towards her. I lost my interest already to approach her and instead went to the locker room to get change.

I sulked all the time I get changed. Anger felt my head. I guess Clow Reed's calmness had long gone and no longer filled this body. Now, I was simply a bipolar teenager.

When I walked into the court, Kaze was laughing happily with Tomoyo. Somehow somewhat, if people had not known, they would say:

"Awww… Hasegawa-senpai and Daidouji-senpai look cute together!"

"They are not!" I yelled at the junior angrily.

If, Kaze cold threw a ball at me and Mika-san, why can't I?

I looked for a spare tennis ball however, before I can throw a ball at them, Kaze had kissed Tomoyo's right hand and ran towards the tennis court.

WHAT-IS-THAT-I-SEE? He kissed Tomoyo's plantar hand like a prince? How dare he? Who is he to touch Tomoyo! Did I give him a permission to do that?

AND WHAT-IS-THAT-I-SEE? Tomoyo was blushing?

I am so going to kill him fair and square todayyyyy!

"Okay, Hiiragizawa-san! Show me what you got," Kaze smirked at across the tennis court.

"I got balls to smash at your ball!" is what I wanted to scream out loud.

Halfway the game, Sakura joined Tomoyo. They seemed to be engaged in a serious conversation as Tomoyo's expression showed an empty yet sadly longing eyes. I kept on wondering on her expression and did not focus on the game I was playing (which I lost eventually).

Kaze didn't seem to be happy when he won over me. He tossed my hand during hand-shaking moment. He muttered furiously, "If you don't want to play seriously, don't waste my time!" and then he walked away.

I walked to the side of the tennis court. Mika-san walked towards me, giving me my towel and mineral drinks. "What's wrong with Hasegawa-san? Isn't he supposed to be happy that he could win over you this time?"

I just kept silent, thinking about what he had said. I must say he was not wrong at all. I played the game badly. Worst I can get. But, that's not my mistake! That's Tomoyo's! Why would Tomoyo showed such expression? Tomoyo! Where is Tomoyo?

I looked at her previous sitting position, she's gone! It was not like her not to wait for me get changed and all. I searched all around the school ground to find her. When I found her shadow across the school garden, Kaze was walking beside her. She held his tennis racket while he hanged his towel on his neck and drank his drink. She still had her sad and longing face as before, but when Kaze said something to her and messed up with her hair, she pouted. But in a happy way. She no longer had such a sad emotion face anymore. She laughed freely beside Kaze, even hit him playfully. Kaze, himself, even showed a sincere loving expression towards Tomoyo.

I stood there as if an enormous big stone was hanged around my legs. I did not know whether I did not want to move, had no energy to move, or to shock to move. Maybe it's the combination of all three. I did not know that they were that close. Tomoyo had never tell me she enjoyed Kaze's companion. I just knew the time when she rejected Kaze, and that was even from Mika-san. I remembered that time I laughed together with Mika-san.

Come to think about it, Tomoyo had never told me anything about her. She never told me her sadness. She never told me where she wanted to continue her study. She never told me what faculty she wanted to join for college. She never told me any activities she was busy with at the moment. She never told me any troublesome things.

That moment got me reflected on myself. Have I been a good friend for Tomoyo?

I walked away from that site, feeling 1000 needles pierced through my heart. Mixed feeling blended into one. Anger, disappointment, guilty, disgust, ashamed, useless feeling.

I met Mika-san when I walked back to the court. "Eri-"

I passed her by without saying anything. I ignored her and slammed the club's door harshly.

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH EVERYBODY TODAY? MOUU!" Mika-san yelled.

"Tell me what you're thinking," I encountered Tomoyo the next day.

She blinked once. Then twice. "Lunch?" She said innocently while tilting her head. Cute.

"No! I mean the one which you talked with Sakura yesterday during my tennis game,"

"Just a simple tale-story. That's all. What are you so curious?"

"Oh. It's just that you look so sad during the conversation and your image stuck in my head all the time,"

Tomoyo smiled softly upon hearing that. "I'm fine, Hiiragizawa-kun. And most importantly,…"

"What?"

"Don't ever use that sentence anymore,"

"Which one?"

" 'Tell me what you're thinking',"

"Why?"

"Because that's so gay. It's girl's line,"

"Nobody says so,"

"Russell Peters says so,"

"Then Russell Peters is a nobody," Eriol shrugged.

"Ah-ah-ah," Tomoyo gestured him to shut himself down. "Watch it! I'm a fan of him,"

"I'm not,"

"Whatever. Let's have lunch,"

I was happy all the way to the canteen. If I was a dog, I would be wagging my tail as if Tomoyo was my owner. Thing were the same as usual. We studied together, ate together, went back home together. Occasionally Mika-san joined us and encircled her fair arms around mine but that's insignificant. Recently though, I caught Sakura glared at Mika-san and me furiously. After that glaring moment, I told Mika-san not to approach me when I was with my best friends.

"What do you want to order?" Syaoran asked Sakura.

"Ermm… Chicken curry ramen and strawberry tea!"

"What about you, Daidouji-san?" I asked Tomoyo.

"C-lunch package, please,"

"Got it!" Both me and Syaoran walked towards the ordering counter, leaving the girls behind to shelter the table for us.

"Thank you!" we heard Sakura and Tomoyo said loud enough for us to hear.

When I queued for the meals, Syaoran started a conversation. "You know, mate. Sakura ask me to tell you this story so that you would reflect on yourself,"

"What story?"

Syaoran scratched his back head as if it was itchy. It was his gesture to show 'I am thinking'. He coughed for a bit, "Have you ever heard the tale of the tree, the leaf, and the wind?"

I raised my eyebrow, questioning where is this going. "No…"

"Please understand I'm not one cheesy guy, but I think this story is good,"

"Errr… yeah?" I almost wanted to say, "Come on! Be a man and say it bluntly!"

Then, he told me the story. There are three characters of the story: the Tree, the Leaf, and the Wind. Tree and Leaf loved each other but the Tree had never shown his affection to the Leaf as he thinks the Leaf is too ordinary for him. The Tree always seeks for other girls even showing his affection for other girl in front of the Leaf. Eventually, the Leaf left him for a better guy named the Wind, who had pursued her for ages. At the end of the story, Syaoran said, "They then asked 'Is Leaf's departure is because the Tree didn't ask her to stay or because of Wind's pursuit?"

I had nothing to say. Truthfully speaking, I didn't really understand why would Sakura want me to know this story.

We ordered the foods and paid the bills. We ate our lunch happily like usual. We went back home like usual.

But when I laid down on my bed that day, I was intrigued by Syaoran's question. "Is Leaf's departure is because the Tree didn't ask her to stay or because of Wind's pursuit?"

Author's endnote: thanks for reading. Finally, I had the courage to write and post a story which I love most: the Tree, the Leaf, and the Wind. If you haven't read about it, Google it now! It's absolutely beautiful! Cheers!