Lasting Impressions
by Hidden Tala

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EPISODE 1: WHEN HATE TURNS TO LOVE PART I

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BEHIND THE SCENES #1

"You can't honestly expect me to work with him," she pleaded to her friend but then her gaze traveled to the figure lurking in the corner of the room and she just lost it. "I had people write me a contract to keep me away from him!"

"Now, now, Tomoyo-chan―"

"Yukito-kun," she cut him short with a raised palm. "You know me so you know when I say I wouldn't do it, I really won't do it."

Tsukishiro Yukito, the show's production director, walked up to her and folded her palm in his hands. "But you signed a contract, Tomoyo-chan."

"As a favor," she countered, getting really frustrated with the unfairness of it all. "You needed a last minute replacement so I offered because we're friends and I was available. But I didn't know I would be working with him."

"But that's also part of the contract," Yukito said with long-suffering sigh and then took her into his arms.

It was going so well. The location was secure; no trace of paparazzi on site, and no sign of rain which was lucky considering it's in the middle of June. The flowers and food service arrived on time. The string quartet was playing Mozart. Even the guests (who are actually people working for the station) were dolled up for the occasion.

Tomoyo was shining on stage.

Everything was perfect.

And then Hiiragizawa Eriol came in.

And she froze up like she'd just seen her doppelganger get ripped apart before her eyes.

Yukito remembered the director yelling cut! followed by the statements: "Try to look less traumatized, Daidōji-san! This is a joyous occasion!"

If anything, Tomoyo's mood plummeted to a more dangerous level that he had to intervene before she did something drastic, like cry, which she's doing right now.

"What's wrong?" Yukito patted her bare back with care. "Will you tell me what happened between you and Hiiragizawa-kun to make you this agitated? Are you ex―?"

Yukito couldn't finish because she pushed him away with her fists, horror etched on her face.

"Exes?" she all but screeched, scandalized. "Me and him? Are you out of your mind?"

"Hey," interjected the man himself, looking zen, now sitting on a couch.

Tomoyo ignored him and pinned Yukito with an intense glare. "Do you remember that scandal about us four years ago? We were supposed to collaborate on a song and he came to work smelling like a distillery―"

"It was 7 in the morning on New Year's day," Eriol countered his defense. "Everyone smelled like a distillery!"

Tomoyo chucked the bouquet at him then turned back to Yukito.

"And that's not everything!" she cried, gesticulating her anger with her fists. "He peered down my shirt like the pervert he is! And you know what happened next?"

"He molested you?!" Yukito's voice rose in anger.

"HE VOMITED ON ME! ALL OVER ME! MY HEAD, MY DRESS, EVEN MY MOUTH WASN'T SPARED BECAUSE I WAS YELLING AT HIM!"

Yukito dry heaved.

Eriol had the audacity to look ashamed.

"And you expect me to go on a fake marriage with him?" she cried with bitter tears trailing down her cheeks. "We'll play house, the both of us? What if he comes in drunk again? What if he finally succeeds with his nefarious intentions with me? What if we end up living in vomit?"

"I said I was sorry plenty of times," Eriol said, standing up to come between them. "I even went to her place—"

"See? He's a drunk, a pervert and a stalker!"

"—but she set her dogs on me and I had to turn back before they could make a meal out of my leg." Eriol turned to her, eyes blazing. "I even wrote you a song with your name on it because you wouldn't talk to me or any of my people. My girlfriend broke up with me thinking I had cheated on her with you."

"That's supposed to make me feel better? I had your ramen-beer-soaked vomit down my throat!"

"If you weren't yelling so much I wouldn't have—"

"I wouldn't have yelled if you weren't looking down my—"

"I wasn't looking at anything! My head was splitting ten different ways I couldn't even tell you apart from the toilet bowl!"

Tomoyo gasped, physically taken aback by that statement. "You can't tell me apart from—"

Yukito put himself between the bickering pair before they mutilate each other with bobby pins. "Okay settle down now, both of you."

"Do you understand why I'll never work with him?"

"I understand where you're coming from," Yukito tried to mollify her. "But Tomoyo-chan it happened four years ago and based on Hiiragizawa-kun's account, he's tried to make amends but you wouldn't listen."

"You're picking his side?" she said in disbelief, her tone rising a few decibels.

"I'm not taking anyone's side," Yukito replied calmly. "Although I would like to help you two reconcile. Who was it that decided to make an appointment at 7 in the morning on New Year's day?"

"I did," Tomoyo gritted out.

"She did," Eriol said at the same time.

Yukito turned to her and began in a placating tone. "You have to admit everyone's in a festive mood. You musically-inclined folks have that end-of-year program which doesn't really end at midnight because the real party starts after the show."

"But that morning was the only time I was free," she insisted. "I had to fly to Korea in the afternoon and my schedule was booked for the rest of the month. That collab had a deadline."

"That's why Hiiragizawa-kun tried to meet with you despite his really bad hangover."

"He could have just told me!"

"I would have but I couldn't get a word in because—"

"Try not to aggravate the situation, Hiiragizawa-kun," Yukito muttered loud enough so Eriol could hear. "I am trying to appeal your case here."

"Fine," Eriol grunted. "I apologize for what happened that day. I was wrong. I shouldn't have gotten drunk especially since I knew we had a meeting in the morning."

"Noted," Tomoyo answered squarely. "However, I'm afraid I still can't do this job with you. I don't think any apology could heal the mental and emotional damage this has caused me. When I see you I can't help but remember those soggy noodles that tasted like bile. I'm sorry but I've made up my mind."

Eriol turned to Yukito. "It seems we've reached an impasse, Tsukishiro-sensei. What do we do?"

The said man who was already past green, now a dangerous shade of purple, suddenly turned away and sped out of the room.

Disclaimer: CCS belongs to CLAMP. The virtual marriage reality show is heavily-based on MBC's We Got Married. No copyright infringement intended.

Author's Notes: I honestly have no idea where that came from. Or why Yukito's playing middle man. I don't even know how TV/variety shows work. But it got me out of my writing funk (and I'll do anything to get out of that funk even if it means being dragged around by a hysterical slash disgusting muse). I decided not to put this under DoR because I might take it up again when I get stuck with BF and NaF. That's what actually spurred this on... I hit a block with those two and started feeling hysterical and weepy. HAHAHA :p So I hope you enjoyed it :)