Somebody told me

She sat up with her eyes focused on the open window. It was a beautiful day with a bright blue sky and warm sunshine. But she didn't care much for it. By being quiet in her bed, she found comfort that she couldn't get anywhere else.

"Tomoyo-chan!" A cheerful voice greeted. Her head turned to the source of the voice. Sakura Kinomoto, her best friend, stood on her doorway with a smile. She was dressed in a blue sundress. "What are you still doing in bed? Come on, Tomoyo-chan, we have to go!"

Tomoyo Daidouji didn't say anything as Sakura took her hand and dragged her out of bed. If anyone but her best friend did that, she would've gotten mad. Her violet blue eyes were curious. "What's wrong?"

"Get dressed, please! We have to go." The Card Mistress said impatiently. She opened the heiress's closet and tossed out a simple cream-colored sheath dress. While she browsed her friend's accessories, her best friend got out of her pajamas and into her dress. "Here."

Tomoyo clipped on pearl earrings and pulled on the matching cream-colored blazer. Her best friend ran a hairbrush through her dark waves before pulling it back on a ponytail. She was still clueless on why she let her best friend take care of her when it was her duty to look after her.

Sakura waited while she brushed her teeth and washed her face. The Card Mistress was agitated, she could tell. After swiping on red lipstick, Tomoyo was dragged out of the house and into the bright sunlit street.

"Where are we going?" Tomoyo asked as she half-stumbled behind her best friend. She felt slightly overdressed in her sheath dress and ballet shoes. But because Sakura dressed her, she bit back her comments.

"You'll see." The usually cheerful and happy girl answered quietly. "Did you know he's leaving?"

The dark-haired girl stared, completely stunned. He was leaving her again… "No, I wasn't aware."

"We're going to catch him." Sakura said matter-of-factly.

They continued walking. Tomoyo's mind whirled as she imagined her former lover. He was leaving again for someone else. It was shocking on how quickly he changed his mind to hurt her completely. Her fists clenched and she bit her bottom lip. She still had her pride.

"Sakura-chan, we're not going." The dark-haired heiress said firmly. They slowed down. The Card Mistress turned to her best friend, confused. She was very worried and concerned about her best friend ever since her last relationship failed. If it meant repairing broken bridges to help Tomoyo move on, she was willing to help her through it.

"Please, it's for closure." Sakura explained. "You have to move on by talking to him at least!"

"Let's stop. I don't think we'll find him there." Tomoyo said quietly. Her head was bowed and her eyes were filled with tears. She didn't want to see him again after he broke her heart.

"But you can't let him walk away without a fight. If it was me, you'd say that! Why not follow your advice?" the Card Mistress looked distressed "You still love him, don't you?"

"It's my choice, Sakura-chan. I don't want to see him." Tomoyo cried out and she turned to run towards the other direction. Her long dark hair flew behind her like a shadow.

"Tomoyo-chan," the brown-haired girl murmured. She felt angry and sad at the same time. But as she watched her best friend go, she decided to let her be. It was a lesson that must be learned.

oOoOoOo

Tomoyo wiped her eyes. She had ended up in one of the swings in Penguin Park. Even if it reminded her of the days when she had Eriol, she didn't care. Swinging and crying managed to soothe her broken heart.

It was painful to remember sweet little nothings like his smiles and words. Their relationship was nothing but bliss. She floated happily like a bubble until she was cruelly burst. It was from one of her guy classmates that she learned about Eriol's secret plan to return to Kaho Mizuki's arms in England.

The heiress avoided her boyfriend and kept to herself. It didn't matter if Eriol was laughing at her or leaving. She wanted to cut all of her connections with him in order to lick her wounds in peace.

It was all made of lies. She broke up with him through the phone and refused all of his apologies. Though she was heartbroken, she still had her pride. When they met each other in school, she walked without sparing him a glance. She didn't care if the whole school gossiped about them. She was more concerned with her emotional health.

Tomoyo realized that it was very late. She got up. Though she was sixteen already, she still had a curfew. She didn't want her bodyguards to get worried.

When she got to the bridge, she stopped to look at her reflection. Then she fixed her clothes and pocketed her drenched handkerchief and hurting heart. The dark-haired girl looked around when she realized that the park was curiously deserted.

Though she didn't possess any magic, tiny prickles climbed up her spine.

"What's happening to me?" she mused as she looked at her reflection. A beautiful girl with long dark hair, gentle blue eyes and a sweet smile looked back at her. There was no trace of hurt or anger in her.

A sigh escaped her lips. The smile vanished. Pain crossed her features.

Is this me that everyone knows?

She let out a soft bitter laugh. She was starting to get used to the pain that Eriol drilled into her heart. It was always like that for her. One hurt would always be followed by another.

Am I strong like everyone thinks?

A cool smile crept up her lips. She presented an impeccable mask to the world. It was something that she had created when she was a little girl. She had to be strong for her mother and then to Sakura.

Is this the warmth that everyone feels around me?

Sometimes she thought that her mother didn't really love her. She existed as a doll to be like Nadeshiko with no soul and heart. Her mother always talked about Nadeshiko. Growing up she heard nothing but comparison to the older woman. So Tomoyo decided to be a warm, caring person to everyone. It would satisfy her mother and protect her.

Am I really loved?

Tears sprang into her eyes. The thought had occurred to her. Every time, she lied to herself by saying that she was cared for. The people in her world cared about her. But she didn't really know.

Am I really here?

Tomoyo wondered if she existed at all. All she had was a shell. No one really knew the real Tomoyo. She lay inside, curled up and undiscovered. Nobody knew who she really was. Not her best friend, her mother or her other friends…

Only Eriol knew.

That was how she fell in love with him. She could be herself around him. She didn't feel pressured to keep up the charade. He understood because he was the same. They felt comfortable and comforted around each other.

"How many tears spill from your eyes is also the same number of smiles from your lips?" A voice spoke up. "Don't you agree?"

She turned around to see him silhouetted against the rising silver moon. His dark hair gleamed with a bluish sheen but his eyes glittered with a different gleam. Her breath caught in her throat.

"It's you," she whispered.

"Good evening," Eriol Hiiragizawa said, smiling. He walked up to her and stared down at her amethyst-colored eyes. "Why are you alone?"

"What do you want from me?" she hissed. Coldness seeped into her voice.

"Nothing, dearest Tomoyo-san… Somebody told me that you were crying." He replied coolly. She flinched and stepped back.

"Somebody told me you were leaving," Tomoyo retorted. "I was glad until now. The report was wrong"

"Oh," said the mage, a bit taken aback. "Your words wound me."

Tomoyo looked away to break his spell. His beautiful blue eyes captivated her and wove his enchantment around her. She loved gazing up at his blue eyes until she realized that he couldn't meet her stare.

"Where were you, Tomoyo-san?" Eriol murmured, letting his hand glide up from her wrist to her arm smoothly. It was a trick that usually won her over. But it didn't work.

She blushed but she pulled her arm away. "I'm sorry but I don't want to talk to you. Please excuse me."

Eriol held her hand fast and stared at her fiercely. His smile told her how much he missed her. "You were betrayed, lied to. I'm not going back to her."

"I was told that you were lying and it was true," Tomoyo spat "I can't trust you."

"Your source was wrong. I'm not leaving the country. I'm not about to leave you lost and crying without an explanation." He looked frustrated. His mask was removed; she was looking at him with new eyes.

She believed him, in spite of herself.

"But we're over now," Tomoyo said curtly. It took all of her to turn back and walk away. Tears made glistening trails in her face. She felt her heart break as she murmured goodbye.

"Why?" he called out to her. "Why deny it? I love you."

"Because I don't love you anymore," she replied coolly "I can't love you when I can't trust you. Goodye, Eriol-kun."

She ran away but she was calmed. It was her truth that she must believe. It was her heart that must be healed.

oOoOoOo

Written: 070203

Edited: 102408