A/N: Hey all, I'm so sorry this took so long. Had lots of things on my plate. But I finally forced myself to finish this! It was kind of hard to write because let's be real... wedding stuff is boring if the married couple is not the main focus. So sorry if it feels like I jumped a lot from scene to scene. It's not the best but at the same time, I'm really happy about finishing this. :) Thanks to everyone who reviewed or supported me. I love you all.
Characters do not belong to me, but to CLAMP!
––
"The thing people know least is themselves, especially their hearts." – Tomoyo Daidouji
––
A few days had passed and nothing so far: no response, no acknowledgement of anything out of the ordinary having happened—nothing. He ran through in his head over and over the possibilities of what she could be thinking and what he could do to figure it out.
"I need to break that tie we have going on now anyways," he told Spinel one night three days later, sitting in his favorite armchair and looking up at the stars outside his windows. "I am close to having the upper hand."
"At this point, is it really about winning the game, Eriol?" Spinel asked skeptically.
"Of course, Spinel!" he maintained, trying to look offended. The creature merely rolled his eyes unconvinced.
"I think winning is important!" Nakuru chimed in. "I fully support you, Eriol!"
"There's no telling how long this game will go on for," Spinel pointed out. "If you stay friends—or more, seeing the way you're going, you'll be playing this game forever."
"That wouldn't be such a bad thing, would it?" Eriol grinned. He delighted in the fact that Daidouji was so good at his own game. It was a weird combination that seemed to work out perfectly in his mind: being in love with someone who could play back harder. Perhaps they could be playing the game for the rest of their lives. And what other way would he want to live? "What do you guys think? Would you be opposed to that?"
"I think a better question would be if she can handle us, and by us, I mean Nakuru," Spinel said.
"Pfft. Anyone can handle me—everyone loves me!" Nakuru exclaimed as Spinel made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat. "And I heard that!"
"Spinel has a point. Sakura's brother running the opposite direction from you might just disprove your previous statement," Eriol said, amused.
"Whatever! He's an exception!" she said merrily.
The phone rang just then and Eriol waved a hand at them to silence them. Nakuru bounced out of the room while Spinel followed lazily. He turned his attention back to the phone. It would be naïve to hope it was Tomoyo, but he entertained the thought briefly anyway before answering.
"Hello?"
"Ah, Eriol-kun! Sakura here." Well, at least he wasn't too terribly disappointed.
"Good evening, Sakura-san. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Ano—I know this is really, really last minute, and I feel bad asking because I would have wanted you to just be able to sit back and enjoy the wedding as a guest but…the pianist we originally had for the ceremony had a family emergency and has to be out of the country this whole week, so I was wondering if you could potentially be our pianist instead?"
"Ah, I see," he replied amicably. "Well, of course, especially since it's for your wedding, I will be more than happy to assist you on your special day."
"Really?" Sakura asked excitedly. "Thank you so much, Eriol-kun! I wasn't sure if it would be a bother especially because you only have a week to find time to practice—"
"That won't be a problem at all," he assured her. "As you already know, I have been playing the piano for more years than I've been alive."
"Arigatou, Eriol-kun! I trust you will sound magnificent," she said cheerfully.
"Thank you, Sakura-san. I would be honored to play for you," he said.
"Okay, I'll give you all the details later—oh!—one more thing," she said breathlessly. Eriol had the impression that she was in a rush. "For the song specifically before the vows, I asked Tomoyo-chan to sing the accompaniment so you guys should practice together!"
His ears perked up immediately. Tomoyo-chan? The accompaniment?
"Oh," he said, trying to keep his voice sounding cool and detached. "And er—she said yes?"
"Yeah, I felt bad asking her too, especially because she's already my maid of honor, but then I thought it might be a really nice addition because I remembered you two singing and playing together back in fifth grade and I thought it was really pretty!"
"Ah, well, if she has no objections then of course we will practice together." Cue the infamous smirk.
"Thanks, Eriol-kun. I'm sure everything will be alright!" Oh, Sakura-san. So sweetly oblivious. "Anyway, I have to go to my final alterations appointment with Tomoyo-chan, so I'll talk to you later, okay?"
"Goodbye, then," he said before hanging up and sitting back in the chair with his elbows leaning on the armrests, fingertips touching. This could be fun.
"So what was it?" Spinel-sun's voice spoke from the door. He flew back into the room and landed on the armchair behind Eriol.
"Master is sitting in his plotting pose," said Nakuru who had slipped in after Spinel. "It must be good news."
"I'm going to have a lot of fun practicing for the piano performance for Sakura's wedding," he replied with the usual mischievous glint in his eye.
––
What with last minute appointments and finalization of all the last minute details, two days before the wedding turned out to be the only time they could practice. He heard the doorbell ring at two o'clock sharp and looked out the window. There she was, standing there at his front door, in a casual dress and red cardigan. He would let Nakuru answer the door. It would probably loosen her up before he had her all to himself for the rest of the afternoon. He smirked and turned to head downstairs.
"Is it true that you designed Sakura-chan's wedding dress?"
The sounds of Nakuru ambushing the poor girl with chatter traveled to his staircase. He heard Tomoyo's usual cheery giggle and a witty response, then the door shut behind them.
"Good afternoon, Daidouji-san," he greeted pleasantly, coming into view of his foyer. She stood there with complete calm; he was unsure how to read her. Her pale, graceful face betrayed no strange emotions and her amethyst eyes were kind and courteous as usual.
"Hi," she said simply. Her mouth stretched into a small smile that automatically lifted Eriol's spirits and made him realize he would do quite a lot to keep that smile there.
"Shall we?" he gestured to the room where his piano resided in. She nodded and walked in first.
"Did Sakura-chan tell you what she wanted us to perform?" she asked.
"She emailed me," he replied, taking his seat at the piano and placing his hands on the keys. He began fingering simple random melody born out of basic chords and confident ease. "I hope you didn't take up this responsibility simply because Sakura-san asked you to?"
Tomoyo was a force to be reckoned with, Eriol thought as he studied her reaction then. She propped an elbow on the piano's ledge and her previously docile expression shifted into a warning glare and one of her eyebrows rose like a dare. "You're toeing a fine line there, Hiiragizawa-kun."
"Shall we warm up first, then?" he asked pleasantly. He was quite amused, really. Toeing the line and crossing it were completely different things after all—and besides, crossing the line had been his objective all along.
Leaning over to eye him closely, she hissed, "You bet." He thought he caught a shadow of a laugh in her eyes but in the next moment, it was gone. Their faces were close. He caught the scent of lavender and honey before she pulled away and stood up straight again.
"Start with the arpeggios," she commanded unflinchingly. He raised an eyebrow in suspicion but obliged, starting on middle C. Something had definitely changed about her.
He decided to keep her word and not cross the line—for now. They consequently spent an exceptionally good afternoon practicing together, both simply enjoying that third impartial and objective party: music. Words didn't need to be exchanged for them to both know that they shared an adoration for music that exceeded any conflict or awkwardness they could have had. It made it hard to perceive whether her complete ease and joy came from the music only, or if it had really come from herself as well. Was she still feeling tension over Sakura and the music was just hiding it? Or did she really feel as free as she looked? Eriol genuinely hoped it was the latter, for her laughter that afternoon sounded more melodic than any music he could ever hope to produce.
"You know, I think we've got it down," she said a few hours later. The sun was now setting outside, casting a violet and blood orange tinge to the skies. He couldn't help admiring the way her face glowed softly in the fading light. "Just brush up again at the rehearsal dinner and then maybe once more on the morning of the day of and we're good to go."
He smiled in agreement, and then asked, "What would you like to do for the rest of the evening?"
"I should probably go home," she said, checking her watch.
"You're leaving?" he asked, unable to keep the disappointment out of his voice. "So soon?"
"Soon?" she repeated, though she was smiling. "We've practiced for hours."
He thought he could see the afternoon spell physically shatter. They were having an enchanted time and she was now clocking out as though the hour struck twelve. It pained him to watch her roll up her notes and gather her belongings. He wanted her to stay.
He followed her to the front entrance but right as she was about to place a hand on the doorknob, he cornered her, leaning his elbow against the doorframe.
"So rude of me not to have asked beforehand," he smirked as she gasped in surprise beneath him, "but won't you stay for dinner, Tomoyo-san?"
"Oh, um—well, I—"
"You didn't have prior plans, did you?" he implored. Their foreheads were nearly touching and his nose was now overwhelmed with that intoxicating aroma of lavender and honey.
"Stay for dinner!" a voice called out behind him. It was Nakuru. He could always count on Nakuru in times like this. Spinel-sun flew up towards Tomoyo soon after, hovering around at her shoulder.
"We made an excellent noodle dish and some sushi," he said. "There's more than enough for you to join in. Would be a shame if you had to miss out."
"Well?" Eriol grinned, turning his attention back to her. He was still casually leaning over her against his doorframe so she slipped out gracefully under his arm and stepped towards Nakuru to give her verdict.
"I'll stay."
––
Dinner was no quiet affair. Between Nakuru juggling several balls of Takoyaki and Spinel attempting to avoid having said Takoyaki stuffed into his face, there was a lot going on for Tomoyo to take in. Spinel dove into Tomoyo's hair to take cover. Eriol never noticed how similar the two colors were until he saw how well the creature blended in with her dark curls.
"Do they always do this at meals?" she giggled to Eriol.
"You have no idea," he responded.
"The food's all really good though," she praised.
"You'd have me to thank for that," Nakuru proclaimed proudly.
"Lies!" Spinel accused, sticking his head out of Tomoyo's thick tresses. "You tried to bake me into that cake. I do all the directing here. You're just a sous-chef."
"Speaking of cake," Nakuru turned to Tomoyo, ignoring Spinel. "Please try some! I promise it's tasty."
"I don't know how I could refuse," Tomoyo laughed as Nakuru thrust a slice in front of her unceremoniously. She accepted the offer graciously and took a generous bite while Nakuru eyed her expectantly. She swallowed and beamed at the pair. "It is really good!"
"Of course it is," Nakuru declared. "I made it without Spinel's help. And I'm glad you like it."
Tomoyo giggled again and it made Eriol truly glad to think that she was enjoying herself here. He made a note to tell her so later.
"Now if you all are done shoving food down our guest's throat, I think it's time we allow her to go home and get some sleep," Eriol announced once Tomoyo finished her last piece of cake.
"Yes, wouldn't want to worry Mother," Tomoyo agreed. She bowed her head politely. "Thank you for the meal and your hospitality."
"You're welcome!" Nakuru exclaimed. "And you're welcome anytime in the future as well!"
"Oh, thank you," Tomoyo replied, much more shyly this time. She got up from her seat and started for the door.
"I'll walk you home," Eriol offered at once, following her back to the front entrance.
"No, it's fine, I'll ask a driver to pick me up," she said.
"It's no problem for me if you just let me—"
"No. I rather have someone pick me up." She said this so firmly that Eriol decided not to argue the case.
"Well, then," he cleared his throat. "I'll wait with you outside."
The night was quiet and warm; birds were singing in a nearby tree as they walked along his garden path towards the front gates. Eriol sensed the air was heavy, however, with the weight of Sakura's imminent wedding.
"Seems like you had a decent amount of fun today," he noted out loud to her, eyeing her closely.
"I really did," she agreed, not looking at him. She doesn't want to talk about last week, he thought.
"And I really enjoyed making music with you. I can tell you love it as much as I do," he said as they reached the gate.
"Me too," she replied simply.
He sighed inwardly at her short responses. He could tell she genuinely enjoyed herself today but she wasn't willing to fully let herself express it for some reason. It felt to him like she was just right there on the edge of tipping over and all she needed was one last thing to push her and then she would fall—towards him, he hoped.
"You know, Daidouji-san," he started, going off on his earlier observations. "I think something has changed about you. Something small. Something subtle."
"I'm not sure what you mean," she said, still not looking at him.
"I think you do," he said with a smile. Her limo arrived and she stepped forward. "And I think eventually, you'll tell me."
She finally turned to look at him as one of her guards got out to hold the door open for her. Instead of responding, she gave him a thin smile.
"Goodnight, Hiiragizawa-kun. I'll see you tomorrow at the rehearsal dinner."
And with that, she got into the car and he watched it drive away.
––
Eriol watched her closely all throughout the wedding party's rehearsal the next day. Even though Tomoyo was as agreeable as ever towards Sakura's will, he thought he sensed a difference in her. At the bachelorette party, though she was all smiles and laughter, there had definitely been a loneliness that came from within her, no matter how hard she had tried to hide it. During rehearsal and throughout dinner, she seemed…more at peace. He would have to keep up his observations.
"You sang nicely," Eriol complimented her as he sat down next to her at a round table in the corner. After the rehearsal ended, they were all pleasantly surprised to discover that Syaoran's mother had ordered a full course traditional Hong Kong dim sum set-up in the banquet hall.
"You heard me yesterday already," she said, rolling her eyes.
"An extra compliment never hurt anyone," he said amiably.
"Au contraire, it could," she replied. "And you know it."
"Alright, Daidouji-san, if you don't want to hear nice things…" he held up his hands in defeat.
"Oh, go bother someone else," she said returning her attention back to the shrimp shumai in front of her but in spite of her apparent annoyance, he noticed a small smile barely playing on her lips.
"I don't think you really want that, do you?" he winked. She looked up from her dish and gave him a withering look.
"And what do you know about what I want, Hiiragizawa-kun?" she asked. Her expression was inviting, not scornful.
"Enough to stick around," he countered, shoving a taro dumpling gracefully into his mouth.
She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you're so full of it."
"So I noticed you decided not to sit at Sakura-san's table," he prompted her,
"You're not dropping that ever, are you?" she said with a completely straight face.
Eriol opened his mouth to respond but at that exact moment, Yamazaki appeared at his shoulder with his shifty grin and a plate of food.
"Did you know that dim sum actually started in Hong Kong because of a bun festival that was held to keep angry ghosts away?"
"Yeah, yeah, sit down and eat," said Chiharu's voice from behind him. Grabbing his shoulder, she pushed him down onto the chair next to Eriol, who turned to perpetuate the lie to the dismay of everyone else around them. The talk with Tomoyo would have to wait until later.
––
When he arrived early at the venue, everyone was busy and running around, so he let himself into the wedding ceremony room and sat at the piano, casually warming up. At some point the wedding coordinator came by to check in with him, but other than that, no one disturbed him more than a friendly hello. Until…
"Hiiragizawa-kun."
He looked up at once, recognizing her voice, and smiled. She was truly a sight to behold as she stood there in her blush pink bridesmaid dress, her hands folded in front of her, her hair twisted into an elegant knot on the side of her head. There was a cherry blossom headpiece in her hair—presumably all the bridesmaids had them for Sakura—but the flowers crowned her ears delicately and blended well with her dark tresses. Eriol couldn't stop staring.
"There's about thirty minutes left before the guests are allowed in here. Want to warm up really quick?" she asked.
"Daidouji-san," he said, unable to help himself, "you look stunning."
He thought he saw her cheeks tinge slightly pink but other than that, she made no other sign that she was affected by his statement.
"Start with the arpeggios," she ordered. He obliged.
The wedding ceremony went beautifully. Eriol continued playing all throughout the procession; the bridesmaids filed in looking pristine, Sakura was more radiant than ever before, and Syaoran's expression at the sight of her was priceless. (Kerberos, although needing to hide from sight, peeked out of Syaoran's pocket to give him the wedding band. Clearly, Eriol thought with a smirk, Kerberos had to be involved in some way otherwise they would never hear the end of it.) And when the time came, Tomoyo handed hers and Sakura's bouquets to Rika and stepped out from her maid of honor spot to sing with Eriol's piano accompaniment.
Even as he played, he couldn't stop watching her. How was she feeling inside now that Sakura was finally getting married right then, right there?
Finally, Syaoran and Sakura, with their vows, wrapped up the wedding in holy matrimony and sealed it with the ending kiss. The crowd burst into applause and cheers of joy. Touya looked resigned but reluctantly happy all the same. Eriol glanced over at Tomoyo. She had a genuine smile on her face, as though she truly could not be any happier for her best friend standing next to her. He hoped for Tomoyo's sake that those feelings were pure. And as he looked at Syaoran and Sakura standing there all aglow, he had to say there really was no room for a single sad heart.
"A toast," he heard her voice say, hours later. He looked up to see her holding two glasses of champagne with an extra bottle of red wine under her arm, neither smiling nor frowning. He had been sitting by himself watching Nakuru harass Touya into dancing with her, all the speeches and the couple's first dance now having finished ages ago.
"Well, this is a surprise," Eriol chuckled, pulling back the chair next to him for her to sit in. "Wouldn't have expected you to come around on your own volition. You're not going to dance?"
"Don't have a partner," she said, plopping down and handing him a glass of champagne.
"Is that an invitation?" he asked, accepting it and raising his glass to her. "Or a last resort?"
"We'll see," she smirked. They clinked their glasses together and drained them.
"What are the prerequisites for it to be an invitation?" he inquired, refilling their now empty glasses with wine.
"Probably just more alcohol," she answered, taking a generous sip. Eriol burst out laughing.
"Ah, Daidouji-san, this is why I like you so much," he said, grinning at her. "Never a dull moment with you."
She looked extremely pleased with herself and began absentmindedly tracing her index finger along the rim of her cup.
"So Sakura-san is married," he stated. "What happens next?"
"Anything," she said simply, refilling her glass back to full. Raising it, she announced, "To new beginnings."
"Indeed," he agreed, clinking their glasses a second time and drinking to her words. Eriol remained silent, scrutinizing her closely, willing her to speak and fill the space he was currently refusing to fill. He was waiting with suspense for her to reveal why she had sought him out first and initiated a conversation. It really was rather out of the ordinary and yet…
"I should thank you, Hiiragizawa-kun," she told him at last. She continued to trace the rim of her cup as she tried to put her thoughts into words. "I've been thinking a lot this past week and a half—"
"A dangerous pastime, I'm sure," he quipped, eyes full of mirth.
"Very dangerous," she concurred. "And well, I think I've made peace with myself and the situation with Sakura-chan."
"Oh?" he said, raising an eyebrow.
"Don't get me wrong, it isn't any less painful," she explained. "But I've made peace nonetheless."
"And you have me to thank because…?"
"Ever since you told me to not be afraid to seek my own freedom," she started saying, and he was immediately reminded of that night, how she pulled him in and kissed him, how their breaths intermingled and her eyes had changed underneath the moonlight. "I've been thinking a lot about who I am as a person, as an individual and it made me see just how little concept I had of myself. I didn't seem to exist apart from other people. My mother, the little I actually know about my father…Sakura-chan. I have no identity without them."
She broke off to take another sip of wine and then stared down at her hands, which were still tracing circles around the rim of the glass. Eriol could tell by her slow pace and absentminded fidgeting that she needed time and space to speak about everything that was on her mind, so he remained silent and patiently waited for her to continue.
"When Sakura-chan asked me to sing for her ceremony, it felt different somehow. Even though I have always readily prostrated myself at her feet to willingly do any huge favor she asked of me, this time felt different. Obviously I said yes in the end," she waved a hand indifferently at the redundancy of this statement, "however—for the first time, I recognized that I wanted to say no for several reasons. And instead of what I usually do, which is to not think about myself at all, I actually thought about myself a lot. Which, by the way, was highly refreshing—and rather earth shattering—to say the least."
"Well, I'm impressed," he praised her, clinking his glass to hers again. They drank together once more and he poured them both another. "So? How did that feel?"
"At first, my immediate thought was how selfish I was being. Then I realized: it was perfectly okay to not want to do something because I didn't want to. And after processing all that, I still decided to do it for her because it's for her special day. But there was a difference. I freely chose to do it whereas before, I was doing things for her because loving her had become such an integral part of my identity as a person that I couldn't separate myself from it anymore." She looked up at him. "And that's what I should partially be thanking you for."
"I didn't do anything," he shrugged, smiling at her. "You came to that place on your own."
She was looking at him in a way that made him curious. He wasn't sure if it was the trick of the light or the alcohol, but her eyes were large and there was an almost hungry look about them as they bored into his as though they were seeking for…something, something to answer her questions, something to assure her and tell her everything would be all right. Was it possible she—?
"I think I've had enough wine to say that this is an invitation," she said, interrupting his thoughts. Standing up from her seat and curtsying exorbitantly, she held out a hand to him. "If you will."
He gave her a lingering look and placed a hand in hers. "It would be my pleasure."
"Wait," she commanded, holding a hand up. Grabbing her glass, she downed what was left of the wine and rather gracelessly placed it back on the table.
"Please, we don't want a repeat of last week," he reminded her. She merely smiled and pulled him back with her out onto the dance floor.
"Which part of last week are you referring to, anyway?" she asked. She placed a hand on his shoulder and he placed one around her waist. They began to sway slowly, circling around on the spot, her easily following his every move.
"Well—definitely not how it ended," he replied grinning. He saw her cheeks tinge pink once again but she did not back down from his gaze despite the fact that she clearly did not expect this answer.
"Are you presuming that it'll happen again, then?" she inquired, holding her chin up resolutely, refusing to shy away. He thought the alcohol was definitely an improvement on her mood.
"Oh, I hardly ever presume anything," he joked genially, smirking at the exasperated expression on her face. "Whatever will happen will happen."
Her eyes narrowed at him.
"So what are your intentions with me anyway, Hiiragizawa-kun?" she asked, cutting straight to the chase.
"If we are going to have this conversation, I'd say it's about time you start calling me Eriol," he quipped.
"Answer the question, Hiiragizawa-kun," she snarled.
"Whatever do you mean?" he asked innocently, twirling her around for a turn.
"Oh, I don't know, let's think," she said in mock concentration. "You've been basically following me around since you got back, you keep asking me about Sakura-chan, I end up drinking a lot because of you…you've never shown interest of any sort in me before, so why now?"
"First of all, I refuse to take credit for making you drink a lot," he said. "Second of all, can you blame me? The more I talk to you, the more I'm blown away by what a force you are to be reckoned with."
"Cut the crap, Hiiragizawa," she said irritably. "You're always trying to sweet talk your way through everything."
"If sweet talking and telling the truth coincide, what is there to complain about, Daidouji-san?" he prompted. She scoffed.
"Because," she started, then stopped. He waited for her to finish her sentence but she looked away and simply continued to step to Eriol's lead in silence.
"What would I be…as you call it, 'sweet talking' my way through in this particular situation?" he asked after a few more moments of her refusing to speak.
She looked up and glared hard at him—a sure sign that he had asked something worth receiving an answer to. He grinned at her. She glowered back.
"Can I have everyone's attention for a moment, please?" the emcee's voice interrupted. "We will now be preparing for the bride and groom send off! Please grab the mini bottle of bubbles we've given to each guest on your table and we'll send them off with a whirl of rainbow soap!"
Tomoyo broke away from him without another word and went back to her bridal party table to grab her bottle, leaving Eriol to go back and grab his own. He was close, he thought, so very close.
Pink in the face from elation, Sakura stood there with Syaoran in the center of the room, both of them waving. On the emcee's count of three, everyone else blew out bubbles so that the entire room was soon filled with clear orbs of soap colliding and floating around them while they all laughed and admired the sight. Eriol spotted the back of Tomoyo's head ahead of him near the entrance. Syaoran and Sakura left amid to cheers and a constant stream of bubbles, and once the door closed behind them, she looked back and caught his eye. He smiled but she looked away. He had expected her to come back and finish their conversation but instead she walked off towards another exit that led into a hallway.
Following along, Eriol eventually found her alone outside on the balcony area. He hadn't known this was part of the venue but most likely, she had had the time to explore earlier as the entire bridal party had been here since dawn. Tomoyo looked so peaceful standing by herself at the edge of the balcony that he almost didn't want to interrupt.
Well, almost.
"What's up?" he asked, stepping up to the railing next to her and leaning his elbow upon it.
"Just feels surreal that it's all over," she replied, looking up at the stars. "And I'm—I'm free. I'm finally free."
The way she looked now was how he would always hope for her to look. Her tiny frame leaning against the balcony railings, her tight bun having loosened over the last few hours trailing stray locks of hair behind her ears, and her gaze focusing upwards with all the hope in the world. Truly, this is what hope looked like, he thought as he admired the way her deep amethyst eyes reflected the stars.
"To new beginnings, right?" he said, quoting her earlier statement.
"Yeah," she agreed, still looking upwards. "I can't decide where to start."
"Might I suggest a visit to London?" he asked slyly. Her head turned to face him and she was wearing a startled expression.
"What, with you?" she asked incredulously.
"I'll take that as an 'I'll think about it,'" he beamed.
"You expect me to go on this excursion with you yet you still haven't answered my previous question," she scowled.
"Nor you, mine," he shrugged. "What would I be sweet talking my way through, love?"
"I asked you mine first," she said.
"Are you asking because you already know the answer and are just trying to get me to say it out loud?" he queried. "Or do you genuinely not know?"
She stalled at this and he could see a vein twitching underneath her eyes.
"For you to say it out loud," she grumbled.
"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow. "So what do you think my answer will be, then? I'd be thoroughly impressed if you responded correctly."
She didn't want to admit she didn't know, he thought, laughing to himself as he watched her struggle with her words. He was close to winning that tiebreaker point.
"You know what?" she said. "I don't want to know that badly anyway."
"Ah, that's a shame, Daidouji-san," Eriol sighed. "Because I do."
"This is exactly why I want to hear you say it out loud, actually," she snapped, pointing an accusing finger at him.
"Whatever do you mean, love?" he asked innocently.
"Because," she started, "you're constantly playing games and usually I know what you're up to, I can see through most of your bullshit. But—"
"But?" he repeated hopefully. She looked away from him and stared determinedly down at the garden below them.
"I don't know. I don't know what's gotten into me," she said.
"What are you afraid of?" he asked gently.
"Not afraid," she said quickly.
"Part of being free, Tomoyo, is admitting when you're afraid."
She turned to face him and he saw confusion in her eyes. He kept his gaze gentle—no playful jesting, no secondary motives. She still didn't seem to trust him quite fully yet but he could see briefly the effect that calling her by her first name had on her. A barrier seemed to have fallen and her eyes softened.
"This past week and a half, I thought a lot about Sakura-chan," she said, restating the conversation they had earlier, "but. I also thought a lot about you."
She was thinking about him? He resisted making a snarky comment and waited in silence for her to continue, though his stomach was doing somersaults.
"And even though talking to you was helpful, I also couldn't stop thinking about how you were still probably playing games the whole time because that's just how I've always known you. Not to say that it isn't a fun challenge to play along. It's actually quite invigorating. But…" she trailed off and took a deep breath. "In the last few days, I started to realize that when it came to me, I didn't want you to be playing games anymore."
Oh, how the tables have turned.
"Is that what you're so concerned about?" he asked taking a step closer. She didn't back away. This must be why she was so keen to call him out on his so-called "sweet talking."
"Can you blame me for thinking you're the type to mess around with people just to 'have fun'?" she posed skeptically.
"Are you implying that playing games with someone means I can't be seriously in love with them?"
She glared at him. So she was implying that. He'd just have to prove her wrong. He took another step closer. She still didn't back away.
"Okay, then. I don't blame you at all," he said, cupping her face and tilting her chin up. "However, I can assure you that you are someone who doesn't ever have to worry about that with me."
Her eyes were wide as they examined his face and he knew she was looking for any sign of truth to his words.
"How do I know I can trust you?" she breathed.
"I don't think anyone fully knows whether they can trust someone or not," he replied, "yet sometimes, we choose to do it anyway."
"Okay, well," she said, her darkened eyes searching his. "I've admitted that I'm afraid. Now what?"
"Now, you choose," he answered, tracing her bottom lip with his thumb, "between staying in fear or overcoming it."
They stayed frozen like that for what felt like minutes; his thumb softly stroking her slightly parted lips and her eyes closing faintly at his touch. How badly he wanted to kiss her as his fingers cradled her delicate porcelain face, but he knew he had to wait. She was on the edge of gradually yielding to him and he couldn't let anything ruin that crucial moment of decision. Finally, her eyes flickered up at him and he gazed down into them, ready to hear her response.
"Or maybe, I can choose both," she said, grabbing his collar and pulling him in even closer. He could feel her warm breath on his lips, could almost taste the scent of lavender, and his smirk widened as he felt every exhilarating syllable of her next words. "Because trusting you, Eriol, would be madness."
He didn't think she could have given a more perfect response and as she began eyeing his lips only millimeters away from her own, he knew what he was allowed to do next. Grinning triumphantly, he closed the gap between them and covered her lips with his own. Last time, she had pounced quickly and ended it just as abruptly. This time, her movements were sweeter and slower. He was able to feel every curve of her lips and fully appreciate how soft they were and how they moved with his as easily as water. There was no rush, so he took his time to savor every part of her. His tongue slid smoothly along her bottom lip and her grip on his collar tightened. She opened her mouth, allowing them both to explore each other gently. His hand slid down to her hip and lifted her up so that she was sitting on the railing. Her hands reached up to sink themselves in his hair while she wrapped her legs around his waist and his hand found her back, fingers burning against her bare skin.
He completely lost track of time. They could have been kissing for hours, yet it felt like only seconds. When she pulled away, she leaned her forehead against his like she did last time; but instead of fading out, when her eyes fluttered open to meet his, the fire in them did not die. They burned even brighter than he had ever seen—that was the best part of it all.
The second best part was that he won the game. But seeing the way she was smiling up at him now, that didn't matter anymore. Because like Spinel said, Eriol had a funny feeling that they would be playing more games for many years to come.
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- el fin -