Card Captor Sakura, Eriol X Tomoyo

Copyright of CLAMP and Misae Genre: Dark/Angst/Romance

A Change of Heart

By Misae

Summary: AU. Eriol, the Crown Prince of Japan with a torturous and dark past, believed his first love had betrayed him, causing him to distance himself from every woman. However, when Eriol meets Tomoyo, a simple peasant seamstress, at the village marketplace, why is his heart burning with desire and yet also with hatred?

Disclaimer: CLAMP owns CCS, never I.

A.N.: This story is set in the later part of the Edo period, the Bakumatsu period. So, the setting is semi-modernized and influenced by Western culture. The men are the ones who conform to the gradual Western ideas, while the women remain pretty traditional.

Warning: Language/Blood & Gore/Adult situations – applies to all chapters. Be prepared for anything.

Chapter One: The Chance Meeting

I thought you'd always be with me.
Always by my side but then you betrayed me,
In more ways than one, you left me to face
this cruel world alone.

The noisy bustle of the village filled his ears with a buzzing. He looked out from the mahogany carriage he was riding in to peer curiously. Ever since that incident, he was never allowed to leave the castle grounds, except when Syaoran, his older cousin, managed to sneak him out in the dead of the night, without his mother's knowledge, to enjoy an occasional drink at the Golden Cat bar.

Hell, he had only ever seen the village when it was shrouded against a dusty dark background and when the party animals came out. The bright and cheery hustle bustle made him wish that that incident had never happened those many years ago. Or else he would have been able to step out of his mother's protectiveness and just be like normal guys his age. Well, he would never really be normal since he was the Crown Prince, but still, he wanted a semblance of a normal life.

"Your Highness?"

"Yes?"

"We have arrived," the calm, composed voice continued, "I suppose we should head to the marketplace now. I'll stand guard a few feet away."

"Right," Eriol turned to look at his bodyguard, Touya, before sighing resignedly. After all, he brought this onto himself. Damn, why did he have to succumb to Syaoran's blackmailing? He had taken advantage of the fact that his parents were away in the neighbouring country, to come into the village in the day. Syaoran had coaxed Eriol into buying him his favourite watermelon as Syaoran could not leave the castle that day.

Eriol pulled on his cloak, stepping out of the carriage, with Touya following.

"Wow," he was left speechless at what he had never seen before.

Everyone was so different, everything was so interesting, and everything was what he always wanted to get to know. The marketplace was only one part of the village, but he felt like he had suddenly been thrown into a whole new parallel universe.

Noticing several curious stares, Eriol cocked his head at their direction inquisitively, unwittingly causing several girls to blush and giggle at this handsome new arrival. He avoided their intent gaze upon him, feeling a blush starting to creep across his chiseled features, his eyes immediately darting sheepishly to focus determinedly on a vegetable stall sign hanging not too far away.

Eriol still could not get used to such attention; especially from a gaggle of girls – he notably loathed the opposite sex and their silly ways of trying to attract him. Besides, not many peasants knew his actual identity, as keeping it under wraps formed a sort of safeguard against treacherous beings. The King and Queen refused to take any chances again, for what had happened to him that fateful day so many years ago, had changed all their lives forever. They could not afford to slacken any form of security for Eriol.

Dressed down, he could definitely pass off as a well-to-do, fine-looking young noble. He could freely walk around without having to worry for his life and whatnot. Taking a deep breath of his opportunity of having some sort of freedom, Eriol could not help but bask in the feeling of being like a caged bird that was finally released into the wild. The smell, the sight, the scent, the sound of freedom was overwhelming him, and his head reeled with dizzy contentment.

But first things first before he could explore this whole new world. Eriol headed off towards the fruit stall, directed by Touya who followed a few steps behind.

Reaching the fruit stall, the beer-bellied, wizened, old vendor flashed him a toothless grin.

"Help yourself, sir."

Looking at the wide array of sweet-smelling fruits, Eriol could not resist the temptation to browse through other odd-looking fruits that were unknown to him.

"May I know what these are?" Eriol questioned politely.

The old vendor stared at him quizzically for a moment, and then proceeded into a lengthy but precise description of every fruit Eriol did not know about. He listened with great interest for he did not exactly pay much attention to books pertaining to fruits or vegetables or whatever in the castle library. They were not exactly interesting, you know. He had spent five years studying how to rule the country and bring it to greater heights. Also, his five years were spent training him in martial arts, to decrease the risk of that incident ever occurring ever again.

As they reached one end of the stall, Eriol could not help but notice the flower stall beside it. Especially the girl there.

"Some white daisies, several poppies, and those red roses!" she pointed out cheerily. The flowers would definitely spruce up the interior of Sonomi's Fitting, her foster mother's seamstress shop. Since she had a little money left over from grocery shopping, she thought that she would buy some flowers to brighten her mother's day, and the shop. Their financial situation had been somewhat unstable in the past year as prices of cloth had rocketed sky-high, causing them to make little profit.

Hopefully, the flowers would breathe some life into the dreary mood of the shop then. She had racked her brains hard over the past few months, trying advertising and many other little quirky ideas of hers to attract more customers. Flowers could possibly stimulate her brain cells further, so there was justification in splurging a little on this simple treat.

Following Sonomi's footsteps, she had become one of the best seamstresses around, possibly one of the best in the kingdom. She would inherit the shop one day and certainly wanted to offer the best that she could to raise its prestige.

"Oh, there's no need to wrap the flowers that nicely, Chiharu," she smiled pleasantly and continued, "I'm going to put them all into vases at the shop the second I reach there."

Chiharu could not help but beam at the twenty-year-old seamstress's enthusiasm. They had known each other for five years now, and Chiharu was all used to her best friend's optimism. Being in her presence was like being doused with a sudden ray of sunshine, brightening up anyone's day.

"All right, all right! Hold your horses!" Chiharu exclaimed, separating the flowers into two bunches for easier carrying.

"Thanks a lot, Chiharu," the other girl chuckled, placing the money on the counter.

"Thanks a lot, Chiharu."

That voice, and that laughter. It all rang so nostalgically in his ears. Could it be..?

His breath suddenly hitched and his breathing had become considerably heavier. Eriol had not heard this voice in years. Five years to be exact. The sound of her voice tugged at his heartstrings and memories that were once forgotten came flooding back in an instant. His hand instinctively clutched his chest tightly.

"I'm so sorry, Eriol," her mauve eyes had started to fill with tears, "Please forgive me… if you survive."

He almost did not catch the whisper of her last words. He was feeling light-headed and the room had started to swirl. He had to concentrate intently on her words before he could fully comprehend them. Even her face had started to swim as white dots started flashing before his eyes. He was clutching the chair for support, leaning his weight heavily on it and then realization struck him. He stared at her in horror. She had drugged him. But why? Reaching out for her, she had backed away, tears falling freely; her hair partially covered her face from him.

"I had to," she had murmured, before backing out of the room. Eriol fell to the floor painfully, with the chair toppling over along with him with a loud crash. Clutching his throbbing head, he tried to fight the darkness that threatened to overcome him with every second, but to no avail. Then, a tall dark figure had entered his room, approaching him quickly. Eriol knew who that was even without glancing in the man's direction – the leader.

"No, go away…" and that was all Eriol could manage before succumbing to the darkness.

He had tried to lock away all the memories of her. Indeed, he succeeded with Syaoran's help. He had turned away from every woman who had shown an interest in him. Syaoran had no choice but to confide in Sakura, his fiancée and Eriol's older sister, who had persuaded him time and time again to open his heart once more, but to absolutely deaf ears. He had built an ice-cold fortress around his heart. He could not afford letting another woman into his heart, the wounds she had left had healed, but they left scars and reminders upon his heart. He didn't want to be hurt, never again.

Now, the problem was the woman who was just at the next stall. He did not know whether it was truly her, but he dared not to turn to catch a glimpse of her face. But he knew, somehow he just did.

He knew it had to be her. No one else could ever sound like her. The melodic quality coupled with gentility was hers alone, all hers. He knew Touya was watching him from just several feet away and he could not afford to act rashly, lest it was reported to Sakura, or worst, his mother.

However, he obviously did not give a shit about being ratted on. What he wanted to do, he always did. He was just a stubborn mule, or in his sister's words, a complete pig-head. Giving in to impulse, Eriol closed the gap between them to tower over the girl, gripping hold of her elbow, causing the two ladies to cease their casual banter. Now, those amethyst eyes were staring into his own, asking him silently what the matter was.

Eriol's heart was caught in his throat. It was her.

They were of the same age and yet she had hardly changed. Those eyes were unmistakably hers. Her features were slightly sharper than five years ago. Her hair was longer and wavier; her body had more womanly curves; her lips an alluring pink. The blue Japanese-styled dress suited her perfectly, showing off her fair and radiant skin. She was definitely a sight to behold.

His eyes clouded over with yearning as he had missed her so much but the cerulean depths narrowed slightly as he remembered his anger towards her. He did not know what to. Should he embrace her, like he used to? Or should he drag her away to punish her for her betrayal? He did not know what to do.

She was pleasantly surprised even though this outsider had rudely interrupted Chiharu's and her conversation when he came up and grabbed hold of her elbow. Looking up questioningly, she could not help but be mesmerized by the stranger's dark blue eyes. His hair was hanging casually slightly over his eyes and his face was framed by a strong jaw. Dark, brooding good looks were all that dissolved her initial twinge of annoyance for being interrupted. Her heart had started to beat a tad quicker because of the strong attraction she felt for this total stranger.

She could not help but think about where she had met him before. They were a little too close for comfort; she could feel the heat of his flesh radiating from him, yet somehow she still felt rather reassured by his presence. Everything was just too achingly familiar.

Realizing Chiharu was there, she decided it was time to stop their staring contest. She tugged her elbow out from his grip and said to him amiably, "I'm sorry, but I don't think that I know you, sir."

Turning from him, she missed the transition of emotion on his face. She picked up the bouquets of flowers and placed them hurriedly into her grocery basket.

"I have to go, Chiharu. We spent too much time talking. Mother's going to kill me. Come by after you close okay? Takashi will be back from work by then. See you!" she took off promptly.

Surprise was replaced by hurt, then anger. She had brushed him off so easily.

"Tomoyo," Eriol managed to squeeze out her name from his clenched teeth.

That single uttered word stopped her abruptly in her tracks. Trepidation filled her as she turned so slowly it would have been comical in the situation, but the atmosphere was reeking of nostalgia that it was almost painful to watch her turn to look at him. Recognition of who he truly was, had splashed across her features and that was all he needed to see. He took a slight step forward towards her, still holding her astounded gaze.

"Tomoyo."

Her name echoed in her own ears. Suddenly, the marketplace felt like it had rewound to five years ago, when they were in that small, dingy, squalid room together. She was finding it too hard to breathe too unexpectedly, and her head had started to reel with alarm. It definitely did not have anything to do with the musty thick air of the marketplace, which was what she was sure of. Hoping against hope it would not be who she thought he was, Tomoyo turned slowly, her heart beating so quickly she thought her increasingly high blood pressure would cost her a burst blood vessel.

The revelation struck her like lightning.

It was Eriol. Her Eriol.

He took a step towards her and she panicked.

She ran.

To be continued…

Copyright: Excerpt from the poem, Betrayal, by Ashley Dickerson

A.N.: Well, if the character "Takashi" doesn't ring a bell, it's actually Yamazaki or Zachary (in the Eng ver. of the show).

Well, I thought that Tomoyo should be wearing something like what Misao does in Rurouni Kenshin, but with a knee-length skirt and longer sleeves perhaps. 'Cause she IS a peasant girl and they have to run around or run away in this instance, yeah? Can't have her tripping all over long skirts or something. And she's not supposed to look like a ninja like Misao, but more of a normal girl, that's why.