Continuing further along the row, another title caught Syaoran's eye: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

DMC: Hello people! It's nice to see you all again. I thank you for reading the first chapter to "Beautiful Disaster"

MoshiMoshiQueen: thank you for the review, I wasn't to sure how the first chapter would work out because it was, after all, something different. I am glad that it worked and that you like it. Hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

Mizuki hikari: I am continuing. For what happened to the Clow Cards and the guardians, well, this chapter touches upon them, but I assure you the next chapter will explain all about them! So stay tuned for that!

To everyone else, thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy the next installment of "Beautiful Disaster"!!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Card Captor Sakura or any of the characters involved in that they all belong to Clamp. Thank you.

WARNINGS: there is a Character death in the first chapter, don't be upset I gave you pre-warning. This is a slash pairing. You know lemon, yaoi, Shounen ai, fluff, and all that Jazz so don't get all mad at me when you come to find it is and you don't like it, I warned you ahead of time and if you don't like it you can leave.

Thank you.

Pairings: Sy/E

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Chapter 2

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RECAP:

Continuing further along the row, another title caught Syaoran's eye: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. A broad smile split his face as he remembered the story; he'd started reading it way back in his youth, after finding it buried in a heap in one of the boxes he brought with him from Hong Kong when he first came to Tomoeda. Apparently one of his sisters or his mother had stuck it in the box as a means to merely get it out of the way for the time being and forgot it was in there as it was filled with his belongings that he was going to move with. He remembered just starting the book but never getting around to finishing it as the Clow Cards began to appear so this was his chance. He needed something lighthearted to take his mind off… everything…

Thus equipped with reading material, he made his way through the small shop towards the cash register. However, about half way there his path was blocked by another shopper, leaning against a stack of books, looking at the one in his own hands.

"Excuse me" Syaoran mumbled softly, his voice deeper since years ago, and had much less of an accent from where he used to live since he grew to learn to hide it, making others believe he had been in Tomoeda his whole life. "Could I—" he began as he lightly touched the man's arm to get his attention but his words were stuck in his throat when the man looked up.

"Hiiragizawa?!" he asked suddenly as he looked into the dark eyes of the other "Eriol Hiiragizawa?!"

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The man who stood before him blinked a few times before his petal pink lips began to twist upward into a sly smile. "If it isn't the little wolf." (1) He said softly, his voice calm and cool as the words snaked from his mouth shaking the other out of his trance. "We meet again, how have you been?"

Syaoran's mouth opened once before he closed it again, only to open and close it another three times, trying to wrap his mind around just who was standing before him, just what was standing before him. It wasn't till the other spoke in the soft, icy tone that he knew it wasn't just an illusion that stood in his path. It was, in fact, Hiiragizawa, Eriol from a few years ago at school. The tone of his voice, the look in his deep eyes and the smile on his face told him so. So much had changed in the being before him that he hardly recognized him, he defiantly had grown up, but some things never really did change with him. His eyes still held a depth that for some reason seemed empty and lonely, his lips still smiled at him coolly, willing everything to be better, and his voice was still as smooth and deep as it had been before.

As he stood, gaping at the other, he just couldn't help himself, nor find anything to say; even to the question he was asked. The only thing he could think of was "what are you doing here?!" so he said it.

It probably wasn't the fact that it was Eriol, who he so disliked and would avoid like the plague, happened to be at the store and run into him, it was more of the fact that Eriol was there that made Syaoran all the more startled. The boy had disappeared for years after all. Just before Sakura's death he suddenly announced, out of the blue, that he was going back to England and when asked why, he couldn't seem to give a reason. When Tomoyo called him to tell him the unfortunate news of Sakura's sudden fatality she couldn't seem to get a hold of him, no matter how much she called. He missed her funeral and it seemed that no matter how much Tomoyo called or wrote to him, he just couldn't be reached. In a sense, he just disappeared off the face of the planet. Or at least, was so far out of reach.

"getting something to read, same as you, why else do you propose I would be here?" he asked him casually as he placed his book back deciding not to get that one as he began to scan the shelves once more.

"Not that, I mean, what are you doing here, after all those years you just flat out vanished?! Where were you? Why wasn't Tomoyo able to reach you? Why didn't you make it to Sak-" he honestly couldn't help himself, all these questions came flowing out of his mouth so quickly before he had a chance to stop them, and he found himself growing more and more angry with each passing moment he stood there, realizing just what Eriol had done, just how long he had been away, and just how useless he was in the end. (2)

Eriol smiled once more and held a hand up to cut off Syaoran's rambling before he gave a soft chuckle that seemed to shake Syaoran's whole being. "I understand I missed so much, to which I truly apologize for, however, if you really wish to continue hounding me with countless questions I, myself, find hard to keep up with, then is there by chance a place we have to go to sit down first? We can talk it all over there" he said calmly, taking no notice to the fuming boy before him or to the fact that he was so close to being slugged hard in the jaw for reasons still unknown to the attacker himself.

Syaoran thought for a moment, mulling over what he just asked before he nodded "my flat is just down the street" he told him softly and this obtained another smile from the mysterious one in front of him.

"That's fine" he replied with a nod as he stepped aside to let Syaoran pass and pay for his books before he followed him.

The lady at the register knew him well as she was a frequent visitor at his job and so she smiled at him, picking up small talk with him while ringing him up. After receiving only short responses from him she decided to stop talking. Watching him, and the man with him, leave the store she sighed softly "and he was such a great catch too…" she muttered, resting her chin on her hand and leaning her elbow on the counter, watching them outside the shop's windows.

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It had previously rained that day, as it had the night of and day after Sakura's untimely death, as if marking the moment and as such the dew hung heavily off the shingles of the book shop's roof dripping in steady droplets down to the moist ground below. Small puddles littered the ground making this the perfect opportunity for little kids to rush from their houses and play in them if it had not been so cold out. If the temperature was any lower it would snow, this was the day it was defiantly beginning to show signs that winter was coming, especially seeing how, before he had come into the store it had been quite warm. Ah, the always changing weather in Tomoeda.

Upon leaving the store and having the brisk wind that picked up, probably whilst Syaoran was inside shopping for something new to read, hit the two hard, a soft sneeze escaped the brunette. His companion looked at him at this, hoping he was not getting sick.

As they walked down the street towards his flat, Syaoran kept glancing at Eriol, wondering if he was truly there or not, weather his mind was playing tricks on him in his lonely time since the accident, and wondering if he was finally going insane. It had been what? Four years since Eriol had last been in Tomoeda, let alone, since anyone had been able to reach him? Five? How long before Sakura's death had he disappeared? (3) It was something like that, he just wasn't sure which. Since that day, the young boy, the man beside him used to be, had defiantly grown up, and quite well for that matter.

Eriol now stood perhaps and inch or two taller then Syaoran, defiantly a change since they were kids because at that time Syaoran had always been the tallest, and his hair had grown just a bit longer and was pulled back to a nice, neat, short plait at the nape of his neck. He was dressed comfortably but still dressed as if he was rich; which Syaoran didn't deny, figuring he was, in black jeans and a white button down shirt with a black tie hanging loosely around his neck and a knee length black cloak. The coat showed signs of having been wet many times in the past and Syaoran figured it must have been snowing in England by now, if not, raining a lot.

The look on him was by no means unattractive. In fact, Syaoran could hardly keep his eyes off the other if it were not for the fact every now and then Eriol looked at him and smiled coolly, to which Syaoran gave a glare in return and looked away. Yes, the result was attractive but Syaoran shook his head many times to rid himself of the thought. The notion of being attracted to Eriol was disturbing and he wanted nothing of it. He was not attracted to Eriol. He couldn't be.

Pushing the thoughts from his mind, he lead Eriol to a smaller apartment complex then he used to have, and up to the top floor in which he opened his apartment room door and walked in, waiting for Eriol to follow. The apartment was cold and dark as he preferred it like that as often as time would allow him. This, unfortunately, was not every minute of every day as he wished it to be since he was now so often gone.

"Well here it is, pretty ordinary actually." He said softly as he set his things down on the counter that ran along the wall beside the door. Eriol followed suit and pulled his shoes off, leaving them beside the door, and looking around.

"Oh, I don't know," Eriol replied nonchalantly as he looked around the dark place. "It's actually not that bad. A bit cold, but not bad at all. I take it you like it with the lights off?" he asked as he looked over at the brunette, his figure dark amongst the shadows around him.

"I like the quiet, and it saves energy so the monthly bill isn't so high" he said softly as he tried not to get mad at the other, who acted as though this place did not meet his standards because he was so rich. (4) However, he held his tongue. It was, after all, the most civil conversation they probably ever had and he didn't want to ruin that quite yet. Besides, he wanted to know why he had come back, where he was, and why couldn't they reach him all these years, and all those other questions he so readily spat out at the book store.

"So, uh," he began as he moved to the kitchen and looked back at him, "can I get you anything? Tea, coffee, coke, water, juice…" he labeled off and Eriol smiled and followed him.

"Tea would be nice" he replied softly as he looked around before setting himself down at the small table in the kitchen that was covered with news papers both read and unread, and a bunch of mail that had yet to be opened.

Syaoran made some tea and poured each of them a cup before bringing it back to the table and sitting down across from him. "If you want anything to eat just say so, I have yet to get anything." He said softly as he watched his guest sip his tea and read over a headline of a paper that was probably a week old or more.

They sat in silence for a bit, sipping tea and reading the paper until Syaoran couldn't stand the silence any more. Setting down his cup he looked at Eriol with as frown "now are you going to tell me what I want to know or do I have to continue playing your games until I am driven to the brink of madness?" he asked hotly receiving a sigh and a small smile from the other.

"Aright, what is it you wish to know?" he asked as his dark eyes bore into Syaoran's light brown ones.

Syaoran took a deep breath before he began berating him once more with questions he was in dire need to know the answer for. "What are you doing here after all the years you just flat out vanished? Where were you in all that time? Why wasn't Tomoyo able to reach you? Why didn't you come to Sakura's funeral?" he asked all in one breath, as if, if he didn't get it out now he never would.

Eriol had sat quietly for a moment, looking at the table as if gathering his thoughts before he opened his mouth and began to speak. "A while before Sakura's unfortunate death I needed to return to England, some problems aroused over there that took up much of my time. After a while reaching me became a challenge as I, myself had a casualty, (5) I was faced with great dilemma and soon after, when I sensed Sakura's death, I was faced with a serious rush of magical powers as the mistress of the cards' magic had to go somewhere, and the cards were in no shape to take it themselves. (6) Soon after I found myself sick and bed ridden, perhaps the magic and the deaths were too much for me, so I waited many years to regain my composure and returned in hopes of obtaining the Clow Cards and taking Kero and Yue with me to England where they can have a proper home." He told Syaoran, and Syaoran thought it over, even though most of the boy's rambling made no sense at all.

Eriol watched him mull all this over in his mind and smiled softly to himself. The wolf in front of him was no longer a little boy and had slowly begun to grow up into a man. It was true Eriol though Syaoran was cute when he was a kid, his smaller childish features never ceasing to make him smile, however, now, the person who sat before him was, indeed, growing up.

Syaoran's hair had grown some, even though it still maintained its never ending mess of spikes, and now danced about his broader shoulders. His features had become more adult like, and he lost much of his childish looks, growing well into a developed man. Eriol noticed though, his eyes had lost the spark they once held, perhaps because Sakura was no longer there to maintain that spark, and the spring in his step had… well… sprung out. He was colder then he used to be but learned his place well, and learned to hold his tongue better then he used to.

Thinking back on all the out bursts Syaoran used to have, Eriol couldn't help but smile to himself as he watched his little wolf attempt to figure out his ramblings in his mind to no avail. Stretching lightly, Eriol sat back in his chair and looked around the dimly lit room. Most of the stuff was neatly put away out of sight, but the few things that did drift about the apartment showed more of Syaoran's still developing character. Books and papers littered the counters, some open, some not. Mail was left unopened half the time and there were hardly any pictures. One or two of his mother and sisters, however, nothing much else. Eriol did notice, however, many pictures were out, but faced down. Something of which, peaked his curiosity, and had he not had manners, he would have gotten up and explored as to why. Perhaps, Eriol's time to question the other, was to come. He just needed time.

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DMC: Thank you all for reading I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Now to explain a few things in here for those of you who might have trouble understanding.

1. If you are an avid reader of fanfics I am sure you know this, if not, well Syaoran's name means "Little Wolf"

2. I believe in the book or the series, of course I could be wrong it has been a while since I read or saw it, Eriol promised Sakura, after she faced the final challenge, and to her just as a friend, he would help and protect her. (most friends say that out of kindness  ) Yet when she died, he wasn't there and didn't show up for many years after.

3. I give it about a four to five year range since she died, I didn't want to set a certain time, for reasons unknown, but I wanted it enough to show a change in the characters.

4. He has a house in England all to himself and a house in Tomoeda (and who knows where else) all from Clow Reed, so one would think he is rich, even though he inherited most of it.

5. It shall be explained later but for those who are wondering who Eriol knows that can die (meaning other then his guardians) Kaho.

6. Most magic, when there is no holder for it, either disappears completely or returns to the original possessor. Since Clow Reed's magic was given to Sakura, it had to return since the magic wasn't originally hers. Since Clow Reed is dead it returned to his reincarnation, Eriol. Most of the time surges like this make the original bearer (Eriol) ill until their body gets used to possessing it.

Well, I hope you liked it. Please Rate and Review. Ciao!

Posted: 6/8/08