First, a word from the author….
Helo!
This story really shouldn't have been produced. I should be writing my next chapters for my other stories, but I had to come up with another story instead. As if I don't have enough on my hands. Sigh.
Anyway, I got my inspiration one day, while watching television, so I thought, well, must as well write it out, since I've got inspiration, and since inspiration for me doesn't usually last very long, I rushed to type out this story. At that time, I had not even thought of the title. P
WELL, anywayzzz…what's done is done. I really should stop reading too much Agatha Christie books. My summary was very much influenced by her, and the worst thing is…er, I think I'll keep it to myself for the moment.
Anyway (I can't seem to stop using this word), pls go ahead and read the story now. Half-baked, lots of loopholes…I just wanted to rid this from my system so that I can continue with my other stories…hee hee.
And now, on to the show…
Summary of the story:
Tomoyo takes over the reins of running Daidouji Business Empire after the death of her mother, and as a result, she has to uproot herself from her hometown and jet set around the globe. While on a short visit in England, she gets a shock of her life when a young man, bleeding and seriously wounded, arrives unannounced on her doorstep…and an even bigger shock when she realises he is none other than Eriol Hiiragizawa…
Chapter 1: The Unexpected Guest"Jessie, I'm feeling tired…"
"Stop complaining, Sarah. I'm as tired as you are," the second girl sighed. "I know it's been all day, but you know we have to sell all these flowers. The children need the money…" She sighed again.
Sarah looked down at the bunch of red roses lying in her basket. She trailed a finger along the crimson red petals and the long, green stem; her dirt grimed nails a stark contrast to the forlorn beauty of the rose. Beside her, Jessie had already carried on with the familiar plea to the passers-by on the street.
"Would you like a rose, Miss? A rose, Mister? It would make a beautiful gift…"
Yet, most of them remained deaf to their calls, a number of them not even caring to spare a glance at the two girls in worn and tattered clothes. It was simply futile, and they knew that, but there were many young and hungry mouths to feed back home; they had to sell the roses.
Sarah drooped her head, her whole body aching with weariness. She finally caved in to the exhaustion, and squatted down on the ground, wrapping her arms around her legs while she rested her head on her knees. She shivered. The winter wind was picking up. She wrapped herself tighter, wishing she had warmer clothes other than the sparse clothing she currently had on her. Her head bent down too low to see anything except the ground, she did not notice the long, black limousine that had pulled up along the street and had stopped directly in front of them until her sister had nudged her excitedly.
The front door opened first, and a stout man with a dark, pressed suit stepped out, and proceeded to open the back door. The stout, grim-looking man stood at the side, holding the door open with such rigidity that Sarah would have burst out laughing. The only thing that stopped her from doing so was the stone-like impassivity of the man's face, which in actual fact greatly intimidated her. She was now on her feet, and slightly moved a step back. She did not know what to expect, but she certainly did not expect what she saw next.
A long black boot appeared first, followed by a tall, slender figure draped in a long, dark purple coat. A young woman emerged from the car, but this was no ordinary young woman.
Sarah watched, enchanted by the glossy black hair that was whipped back with the wind, and the creamy, white skin of her face. One thing was for sure; she was definitely not a local. The stylish designer shades hid her eyes, but all Sarah could think of was two words. Uber cool.
Sarah felt Jessie tense up beside her when the young, beautiful woman slowly approached them, but Sarah could not help but wonder how one could walk with so much poise and grace as the woman in front of them. She smiled nervously when the young lady bent down slightly to examine the flowers in her basket; long elegant fingers calmly slipping off her shades to reveal a breathtakingly beautiful pair of striking violet eyes, almost causing Sarah to elicit a gasp.
"M-May w-w-we h-help you…M-Miss?"
Sarah could barely hear Jessie's voice, but it was loud enough for the young woman. She turned and raised her head to look at Jessie…and smiled. Without saying a word, she gently took the baskets from their hands, and Sarah watched as she slipped something mysterious in to Jessie's hand. With the smile still present on her face, she gently caressed their cheeks. Her hand, Sarah decided, had the warmest and most comforting touch she had not experienced for the longest time ever since her mother had died. Sarah did not even realise when the young woman put down her hand, and still without having said a word, she turned and walked back to her car, leaving two awe-struck girls behind.
It was only a long time after the black limousine had driven off that they realised what had happened. Jessie stared blankly at her right hand, the one in which the young woman had pressed in something, and resting on her palm, was a crisp but crumpled, brand new, fifty pound note.
"Ah, Mistress Tomoyo! You're back!"
Tomoyo walked up the stairs of her porch, and produced with a flourish a bunch of red roses, which immediately gained an admirer in the form of the petite, middle-aged woman who came to greet her.
"What lovely flowers, Mistress Tomoyo! Come, I shall place it in that lovely crystal vase by the dining table! Lovely vase to suit lovely flowers!"
Tomoyo laughed as she watched her housekeeper scurry away with the roses. That dear Emma will never change, she thought to herself, a gentle smile resting on her lips.
"Unfortunately, I'm afraid my wife will always remain that way," a deep voice rumbled beside her. Tomoyo knew even without looking who the person was, and turning to her right, she scolded him in mock displeasure, "Warren!" The gentle giant grinned back at her, a bushy grey eyebrow raised to express his amusement. Tomoyo smiled back at her butler; one could not possibly get angry with someone like Warren.
Warren stepped forward to relieve Tomoyo from her winter coat, for which Tomoyo thanked him graciously.
"So, how was your day today?"
"Urgh. Not as bad as yesterday, but bad enough. I really need to relax now."
"Hmm…shall I prepare your boudoir again?"
"I think I shall go to the living room today. Is the fire ready?"
"Blazing fiercely, Mistress. Nice, warm and cosy, if I may say so myself."
"Thank you, Warren. You're a dear. As for refreshment –"
"A Martini, stirred, not shaken."
Tomoyo flashed a grateful smile at him, and giving him a quick peck on his cheek, she murmured, "Now what would I do without you, Warren?"
"You would be suffering a lot, that's for sure."
Tomoyo laughed again, and shooed him away to carry on with his business.
Tomoyo quickly advanced to the living room, and completely disregarding her manners and social graces, she plopped herself down onto the couch, and sank into the warm velvet material. Curling up her legs, she looked every bit like a smug, contented cat, and she definitely felt like one as she snuggled deeper against the fluffy cushions on the couch.
Ah…this feels wonderful…
She sipped the drink she now held in her hand, and though she was staring into the orange, blazing fire, her mind was revisiting fond memories.
A smile slowly formed on her pale, pink lips.
Sakura…
An image of a sweet, beautiful young woman with long auburn hair and sparkling green eyes immediately appeared in her mind, and Tomoyo smiled.
Sakura Kinomoto.
Her cousin, her 'sister', and above all else, her best friend. Forthirteen years, they had been best friends, the closest of friends…and now, as she sat alone watching the fire, Tomoyo could not help but feel a deep sense of loss. In the past year, she had lost her mother, her friends; the former because of cancer that was detected much too late, and the latter because of her duty to continue running the immense Daidouji empire, a duty she could not forsake. A duty that ultimately forced her to uproot herself from the hometown she loved so much as she had to jet-set around the globe to monitor the Daidouji Enterprise branches located in various parts of the world, and in the process, separated her from her dearest friends…
Well, at least I can take comfort in knowing that Li-kun is taking care of Sakura-chan…
A mischievous grin tugged at the corners of her lips. She chuckled silently at the memory of the Chinese young man with fiery amber eyes and dirt brown hair, who blushed so badly when he finally proposed to Sakura, he looked as though he was going to faint. He actually did though, when Sakura said 'yes'. Sakura then had to spend ten whole minutes to revive him again, though he fainted once again when he saw how close he was to Sakura. On the other hand, Tomoyo, as usual, had a wonderful time capturing everything on tape, much to Li Syaoran's chagrin.
Too bad the wedding is still two years away. The couple felt that they were still young, and were quite happy to remain engaged for the moment, and though Tomoyo respected their decision, she had to admit, she was a bit disappointed that she could not see her best friend dressed up in a custom-made (by yours truly) wedding gown soon enough. Two years, however was not that far away…
Besides, it gives me more time to think of other more beautiful designs…
An even bigger grin appeared on her face.
But for the moment, she would be all alone, without any of her close friends, without her loved ones…
Winter in England was looking to be one lonely season.
Ordinarily, Tomoyo would have left the duties of cleaning the furniture to her many servants, but today, she was feeling rather energetic. Today, she was taking a rare break from running the Daidouji business, and instead of relaxing in her boudoir, she decided to make use of her time by chipping in with the household cleaning. For her, it was a refreshing change; getting down on her knees to scrub the floors and getting herself quite dirty was not something she experienced everyday.
She whistled softly to herself while polishing a brass goblet, lost in her thoughts, when suddenly…
"Guards! Keep him away! Keep him – Argh!"
Shouts of her bodyguards echoed through the halls of the large mansion as they rushed towards the entrance to investigate the commotion. Tomoyo promptly replaced the goblet and followed them, her brows furrowed as she wondered about the scream she had heard.
Once at the entrance, she pushed her way through, ignoring her bodyguards' futile attempts to stop her. A struggle was taking place between the guards and someone else whom she could not see, but something else caught her attraction. Something red on the ground…
Blood…
"Wait! Release the intruder! He or she is bleeding!" Turning to Emma, she commanded, "Get the doctor here, now!"
Turning her attention back to the front, she ordered the guards to part, and walked slowly towards…a young man. A seriously wounded young man, to be precise.
Oh my…
He was quite a wretched sight. His white long-sleeved shirt was completely dirtied, torn at various parts and stained with dark red splotches which Tomoyo assumed was blood, and even though his pants were blue in colour, she could see blood oozing out from where the material had been sliced. Subdued by the guards, he knelt down before her, and she quickly rushed to him. He was still trying to fight back, snarling weakly at his captors, his blue dishevelled hair flinging from side to side as he fought to get up.
"Stop struggling! You're hurt, and in dire need of a doctor!"
He suddenly did stop moving upon hearing Tomoyo's voice, and slowly raised his head. The sun glinted off his cracked spectacles, which now dangled precariously, and dark, blue eyes stared right into hers. Tomoyo unknowingly released a small gasp; there was something very familiar about those eyes…
His lips parted slightly, and Tomoyo strained her ears as he tried to speak.
"H..help…me…"
The weak whisper was all he could muster, before he finally collapsed before her.
Slightly stunned, Tomoyo however quickly gathered her wits and ordered for the young man to be brought into the house. He was in serious need of medical attention, and she was not about to let someone die right on her porch.
The blue hair…the blue eyes…they're so familiar…
She was about to follow the guards in, but her attention was distracted by a 'clink' sound she heard. She moved swiftly back towards the door, and sure enough, a glittering object lay on the ground. Bending down to take it, she had a start when she realised what it was.
It was a pendent; a pendent that resembled a key, and had the shape of a sun that was surrounded by golden spikes, and only one person could have dropped it…
The wounded young man, with the familiar blue eyes and hair…
Don't tell me that was…
"H-Hiiragizawa-kun?"
To be continued…Author's notes:
So? How was it? Comments pls. Criticisms also welcomed. )