Look! I finally have it up! The fic that never dies! Altough, I do have to make one little correction. I said before in the Tango that this was a prequal (the before) but I kinda lied. It started out as a Prequal, but then Eriol kept insisting that he didn't know the location of any bars and Tomoyo kept yelling that she would never frequent such places no matter how reputable...so...this story is BASED on the Tango but is is NOT a prequal...Got it? Good.
Touché
Chapter 1: As am I-Eriol
She left me. She. Left. Me. I stared into the coals of my not so well banked fire and remembered. Two weeks, six hours, and five minuets ago She called with the news. Called! As if this information could not be passed along in person, as if she had more important things to do, as if I truly no longer mattered.
"Damn it!" I threw the wine, glass and all, at the fire and listened to it shatter with satisfaction.
Kaho left me for, of all things, a younger man! Who, I desperately wanted to know so I could warn his parents. Because this new man would have to live with his parents and I wanted to speak with them as well. I just turned seventeen and Kaho is over thirty. Thirty! What young man, in his right mind would date her? Who? How could she?
My cheek leaned against my fist and immediately became wet. Stupid woman for making me cry!
"Oh, Eriol, I'm so sorry, but I've found someone else." The words echoed throughout the room making a mockery of all my other memories.
That love seat, over in the corner, that's where she first cried on my shoulder after out first fight. And at the piano, in the other corner, she would sing beautiful ballads both in English and Japanese. The lovely words would dance around the room for days afterwards. For that matter, I could still hear the loving, sad song from a week ago. Over by the door I remember as the place she first kissed me. To this day I can still recall the exact way it felt to hold her, touch her, and taste her. It was like holding the last rose of the season and knowing it was yours for the rest of time. And here, in this very chair, we made love for the first time.
With that realization I looked for something else to throw. But nothing else in the room could inflict enough damage. Damn it!
And so I stared into the coals, thinking, lamenting, considering. Were all other women like Kaho? Certainly not! I could admit that, but no one else could satisfy me like she. And certainly no one could understand me. After all, the world so far had not readily accepted the idea of magic. And it also had not shown any signs of doing so in the near future. Besides that, not many people would tolerate my more meddlesome plots and schemes.
I got up and stormed from the room, unable to handle the onslaught of memories of the past and doubtful thoughts of the impending future. Determined to find some form of peace I wandered from room to room. What to do now? Where should I go? No room in the house remained untouched by Kaho's presence and the memories of good times.
Perhaps it was time for a change of location. Somewhere more exotic with people I haven't seen in seven or so years. And why wait?
"Nakaru, Spinal, we're leaving. Pack the house." I didn't realize the clock recently struck three. Oh well, the sooner the better!
Ah, the beautiful landscape of Tomeada Japan, how indeed did I miss it. The smells, the sounds, just the thing to take my mind off of Kaho. I walked serenely down the streets, basking in its simplicity. Few people walked along with me, as I just missed the school rush and the work rush had yet to come. IN just a few short moments I would get to see wonderful, sweet Sakura again! Syaoran most certainly would be less then happy to see me, but Sakura would flash a bright smile usually reserved for her afore mentioned boyfriend.
It did not take long to get a class schedule and find my first class. Though I was by no means early, I did manage to enter ahead of the teacher, but after the bell. Teenage girls and boys talked excitedly or bragged about their weekend conquests and generally tried to show the others up. Their immaturity disgusted me. I would never treat a worthy female with such disrespect as gossip.
"Please, Toji, I have a boyfriend." My favorite person remarked with a sigh.
"But Sakura, he's such a jerk. Just last week I saw him and some girl lip-locked." The unfamiliar boy named Toji pleaded.
"She came onto him and Syaoran told me all about it already."
"But Sakura, what can one date hurt?"
She sighed again with frustration. Obviously this poor boy just did not get it. "Excuse me sir, but I believe you answered that question. If Syaoran is going around kissing girls, how is going on a date with you any better?"
"Back out Bud!"
"Eriol! Sakura exclaimed just as gleefully as I predicted. "You're back!" She jumped up and hugged me and I glared at Toji until he moved onto his seat.
"Hello Sakura-chan, I see you're doing well." I smiled at her uncontainable happiness. "Has every thing here gone well?"
"Oh great, just wonderful!" She proceeded to babble excitedly until the teacher coughed loudly in her direction. "I'm sorry sensei!" And she sat down.
"Well, class, as you can see, we have a new student joining us today. This is Eriol Hiiragizawa who's just transferred here form England. I'm sure he can help and teach us something new from his travels. Please make him felt welcome." Half the male population glared at me for my familiarity with Sakura. "Why don't you sit next to Kinomoto-san?" The teacher successfully alienated the other half. Ah well, so goes life.
By the end of first period many of the girls had already begun round one in the flirting game. None of them had the experience to win against me though. They still played with half-hearted winks and shy smiles. I had long since moved past that stage, but if any boy in the class entertained even slightly mutually feelings towards me, those disappeared fast.
Didn't really matter; I didn't come to make friends, but to check up in my darling little Sakura.
"Eriol, what other classes do you did you sign up for?"
"Well, next I have AP biology and then AP English followed by AP Japanese.
She frowned and I wondered if perhaps I said something wrong. "Well, we only have one class together. But you get to take AP bio with Syaoran; he'll be excited to see you." She grinned. "And then Tomoyo decided to take the other two classes." Then she laughed. "I'm so glad you're here Eriol-san!"
I beamed back at her, but my thoughts dwelt on Tomoyo-san. How did I forget her? She played such a major role in guarding Sakura and looking out for her well being that people often times never said Sakura's name without mentioning Tomoyo. Of any reaction, it was Tomoyo's I could not predict and hers that could prove the most troublesome. Oh well, one problem or delight at a time. And for now, I had Syaoran to look forward to. AP Biology would certainly prove an entertaining class, even if the teacher could provide me with no new information.
"Well, Sakura-chan, I shall see you later then." I smiled and nodded to her, conscious of all the glares pointed at the back of my head.
"Good! See you at lunch then!" She waved.
Biology was indeed enjoyable. It seemed that rumors of my arrival traveled faster then I could and Syaoran was aware of a new student whom Sakura had taken quite a liking to. And when I entered the room he immediately jumped up and screamed "YOU!" as loudly as he could and gained the attention of the entire class.
"Why hello to you too, Syaoran. You wouldn't believe how I've missed seeing you during my absence."
He glared that famous glare that often left people quaking into their boots. "What are you doing here, Hiiragizawa?" No sense of tact, no at all.
"I've come for a visit, but you don't look nearly as happy to see me as Sakura-chan did." I remarked casually, watching the blood rise. "She gave me the best welcome I've ever received."
His hair stood on end and I'm sure that had the teacher not entered at that precise moment that some nasty words and perhaps gestures would have found their way around the room.
"Good morning class, this is Hiiragizawa Eriol from England. Hiiragizawa, why don't you work with Li?"
"Bu-bu-but!" He tried to protest but the words just wouldn't come out of his mouth. The joys of tormenting my dear cute little descendent.
"That's enough, Li, please take your seat! Class, today we have a lab, so please gather your materials and papers."
Syaoran snatched at the items hastily and smacked them on the counter in frustration. "If you do anything to Sakura, I swear I'll kill you." He mumbled out of the corner of his mouth.
"Relax, I just came for a leisurely visit."
"Yea, but you transferred into the school, that's not a visit, that's moving!"
I smiled at him. "You have no idea."
Eventually Biology ended as all good things must and I faced the prospect of facing Tomoyo. There was no way around it. And thus the best strategy to employ would be a little game of mental chess. If Tomoyo saw nothing in my motives, other then an extended visit, she would accept it with no questions. The problem was making sure that was the impression she got.
Well, best to face the music and I walked into English. I quickly sat down and began to copy the lesson on the board, not because I needed to learn the material, but to give my hands something to do while I formed a strategy.
"Eriol, what a surprise to see you here." She said in a naturally hushed voice. If one did not know her better, then one would suspect her of whispering. "May I surmise that Miss Mizuki has also come for a visit?"
Hit the nail on the head, didn't she. "Alas, no, she had pressing matters that prevented her from spending too much time with and I grew lonely. So I said to myself, what a better time to visit Sakura-chan. And here I am." I smiled congenially.
"Ahh," her voice resounded through me if not the room. "Then I am most glad that you have come." She smiled softly, ever reminding me of that gentle reserved person she was.
"As am I, Tomoyo-san, as am I."
Depressed Eriol...can you really tell the difference between that and demented Eriol? I can't.... (whines). Oh well. It seems that Eriol has one person to match his wits against...I wonder who that could be...NOT! on the other hand, these characters are none to forthcoming in what actually happens next (hint hint...the little button down there...hint hint) and so I might not have the next chapter up tooo soon. (translation: Review and make the characters happy so they'll tell me more of the story and then I can update. Hint hint!)