Tomoyo ignored the blatant stares and hushed whispers as she headed towards the student council office. She thought she'd gotten used to the unwarranted attention ever since school began a month ago, but the steady increase of gossips and the unrelenting questions just left her exasperated. Fighting the urge to glare at the two girls who were eying her whilst giggling, Tomoyo turned a corner. Still unsafe from the eyes of her peers, she was greeted again by knowing smiles and excited murmurs. Glad she had the self-control of a monk, Tomoyo tried her best not to run off towards her destination. The student council office was just a few meters away and within it, she would finally be free of the prying public.

Reaching for the handle, she slid the door open. Not bothering to offer a greeting, Tomoyo slipped herself in and closed the door almost instantaneously. She released a relieved sigh.

"Is something the matter, Daidouji-san?"

Tomoyo's eyes darted towards the voice. The office wasn't too large but it was spacious enough to house the entire student coucil. It had just enough space for several work cubicles for the staff and one main table by the glass window that oversaw the school. There sat the lone figure in the room, hands busy signing documents; his eyes never leaving the scribbles on the pristine parchment.

Tomoyo sighed once again, eyes glancing impassively at the busy student council president before her. "Nothing, Hiiragizawa-san. Nothing at all."

It wasn't as if Tomoyo hated Eriol. But she didn't particularly like him in any way. He was hardworking and charismatic as a leader and those were things she admired him for. She knew Sakura and Syaoran had a lot of respect for him given that he was Clow's reincarnation. But that was about it. He was always just another acquaintance, another passing face. Tomoyo was never the type to formulate friendships with people she didn't find particularly interesting; and Eriol wasn't exactly the type to open up to others and develop intimate relationships with his peers. This was about as much as they would interact in school.

"Then why have you been standing there for one minute, eleven seconds and counting, just staring at me?"

Tomoyo blinked, now aware of the dark gray orbs eying her curiously, alongside the signature polite smile Eriol always adorned. Tomoyo couldn't help but notice how the setting sun emphasize the intensity of his gaze, making the smile seem eerie and misplaced. "I apologize. I was lost in thought momentarily."

Tomoyo headed to corner most cubicle, just a few feet from where Eriol was situated. Pulling out the chair, she laid down some of the club reports she had collected. Apparently, as the vice president, her job was to summarize and review the budget proposals of each club and present it as one holistic account to the president for approval.

"Daidouji-san."

"Yes, Hiiragizawa-san?"

Eriol made no further comments, simply choosing to stare at Tomoyo with an eyebrow raised in inquiry. His smile was still in place.

Tomoyo sighed, not wanting to engage in a pointless stare down. "It's really nothing Hiiragizawa-san. I assure you-"

Eriol paused from his task to lean his chin on his hand. His tone was formal but teasing. "I could sense your discomfort the moment you entered this room. There's something you want to talk to me about, is there not?"

Tomoyo sighed once again. She seemed to be doing that a lot recently. "I admit something has been bothering me, but it's not important enough to warrant a dialog with you. So-"

"I think I'm more than capable of being the judge of that." Eriol leaned on his chair, arms now folded defiantly on his chest.

Glancing at the papers on her desk, Tomoyo closed her eyes. She needed to get all these done before sundown but if there was anything she knew about Eriol, it was that he was very meticulous and demanding, despite all his efforts at trying to seem laidback and amiable. She knew he would never let her leave unless he got what he wanted.

"Fine, since you're giving me no choice."

Eriol leaned his elbows on the table, carefully placing his intertwined hands on his lips and chin in a gesture of contemplation. He nodded.

Tomoyo felt uncomfortable at the seemingly serious attention the student council president was giving her. "To be honest, I don't exactly know how to state it without sounding ridiculous."

Eriol's eyebrows raised in interest. It wasn't every day that one Tomoyo Daidouji would admit that a problem has gotten her feeling ignorant. "I promise I won't laugh."

Tomoyo glanced at Eriol skeptically.

"Just say it."

Not wanting to delay things any further, Tomoyo threw caution to the wind. "I'm bothered by the student body and their constant gossiping about the nature of our relationship."

Eriol and Tomoyo stared at each other in silence, neither willing to break eye contact.

"You can laugh now." Tomoyo added begrudgingly.

Eriol folded his arms on his chest, his face an impassive mask almost impossible to read.

Tomoyo raised an eyebrow, slightly irked at the lack of response. "Don't you even find it the least bit weird that even the school paper does an article about us?"

Eriol chuckled at this. "Why do you think people are so adamant about the two of us being in a supposed 'secret relationship'?"

"That's what I want to know."

Eriol couldn't fight a smirk. "You honestly don't see it?"

Tomoyo narrowed her eyes in annoyance. "See what?"

"Potential."

This time it was Tomoyo's turn to fold her arms on her chest defensively. "Potential in what?"

Eriol brought his hand to his chest, then gestured it towards Tomoyo.

Tomoyo deadpanned, not understanding what Eriol was trying to say. "I ask again. Potential in what?"

"Us."

Tomoyo raised an eyebrow at this. "And in what way do we have potential?"

Eriol was chuckling to himself. "Your lack of imagination astounds me."

Tomoyo scoffed in amused annoyance. The cold polite mask was on her face in an instant. "This is a first. No one has ever taken a shot at my creativity before."

"Fashion and fiction are two very different facets of creativity, Daidouji-san." Eriol argued, his smile mirroring that of Tomoyo's.

"Would such a wise mage care to enlighten me then?" Came Tomoyo's patronizing tone.

"Gladly." Eriol nodded in reply, ignoring the mocking way Tomoyo had asked for his clarification. "Starting with the obvious, we're both academically proficient, musically inclined, and leadership driven. You came from a well know family with a famous name to match. Though mine may not be as well-known as yours, my family does not fall behind in terms of socioeconomic status. And if you look closely, we have a lot of similar physical traits – not enough to make us look related, but just enough to make anyone mistake us for a couple. You have a lot of admirers but you have yet to set your eyes on a specific one. The same is true with me. We're in the same social circle, with all the other members engaging in romance-related activities, leaving the two of us behind without any specific partner to pair up with. So you see, to the general public, you and I are a 'match made in heaven'."

Tomoyo looked at Eriol in surprise. "You seem to have thought about this thoroughly."

Eriol replied with another smile. "I'll have you know that although the girls seem to gossip about it regularly, it's the guys that are the most obstinate. You'd be surprised what they do to me in the locker room."

Tomoyo blinked, trying to fight the blush that threatened to stain her cheeks. This was what she got for reading too much shonen ai manga. "I-I beg your pardon?"

"What kind of images are you flashing through your mind, Daidouji-san?" Eriol chuckled at her reaction. "They simply corner me and relentlessly bombard me with questions. Not that any of those succeed."

Tomoyo coughed. "I see."

"Well?"

Tomoyo raised an eyebrow in inquiry. "Well, what?"

"Now do you see what I meant by 'potential'?"

Tomoyo looked down and shrugged ready to delve back to her paper work. "To each his/her own I guess."

Eriol felt his eye twitch. He knew he shouldn't be offended. But something about the offhanded way the Daidouji heiress brushed off his rational argument made him want to prove himself. "In other words, you don't see it."

Tomoyo glanced back at Eriol and sighed. "I do understand why people think we have potential. But I guess that's just what outsiders would think. In reality, it's not like we have any sort of chemistry."

"What makes you say that?"

Tomoyo kept her gaze on Eriol, sensing that he was beginning to be argumentative. She sighed. There was no point in lying. "Hiiragizawa-san, you're not my type."

END of chapter one.

A short two or three part story. Just a bit of banter between these two perfect characters who should have been canon. My contribution to the fandom (and yes distracting myself from my other stories, sadly). I couldn't sleep because of the ideas so I just went on and wrote it.

Constructive criticism is very much appreciated!