VictorianPearl: Ta da, hope you enjoy.
Li: Notes are at the end of the chapter.
Eternal Flame
Chapter 4
The Mind's Echoes
It was Saturday morning, and as Tomoyo walked to the Tomoeda library, she thought on the events of the previous night. She had had another dream about the myth and the ocean. Even more strange, she had had a dream about…Eriol? Or had that part been a dream? Her memory was grey and she couldn't remember.
Tomoyo shrugged though and she smoothed her light floating skirt and fitted white shirt. A groan escaped her as she did so. She had finally come to terms with her feelings for Keung. So what if she had a crush on him. That was completely normal. Maybe it would stay, or go away, or even turn into something more, but it was too early to tell. She tried not to think of how her feelings and her odd dreams of myths and Eriol somehow correlated.
Once Tomoyo arrived at the library she entered through the doors slowly, glancing to see if Keung had arrived. Sure enough, he was sitting at a table with his English book open, gazing down at the text. As if feeling her gaze on him, he looked up and caught her eye. He broke into a wide smile. Heart fluttering, Tomoyo returned the smile and joined him at the table.
"Hi, Chan-kun," She said softly.
"Hi, Daidouji-chan," He softly replied.
"So…what do you need help with?"
Keung blushed a little and stared down at his book. "I'm having so much trouble with my particles."
Tomoyo giggled softly causing Keung to look up quickly and feign hurt. "Don't be mean."
"Alright, alright," Tomoyo said, still giggling. "Let's start."
The two worked on particles for an hour. Tomoyo couldn't ever remember having enjoyed studying particles so much before. She just liked to glance at Keung's face as he concentrated, and she thought it was cute when he would mess up and get embarrassed. Tomoyo blanched at herself internally.
'I'm such a creep, thinking about him like this! I hope I'm being more discreet than I feel I'm being.'
If he noticed anything though, he didn't show it.
"I'm tired of particles." Keung announced, shutting his English book. "Do you want to go to the mall and get some ice cream?"
Was he asking her on a date?
"Yes! I mean no…not at the mall." Tomoyo finished quietly.
Keung quirked an eyebrow at her. "What's wrong with the mall?"
Tomoyo couldn't tell him that she didn't want her friends to know about her crush on him. "Well…it's Syaoran. He's really obsessed with playing Dance Dance Revolution at the arcade in the mall."
"Is he the one Yamazaki-kun always beats?" Keung asked.
Tomoyo nodded wearily. "I can't take it, listening to the corny music. And Syaoran always looses his temper when he's defeated."
Keung simply laughed. "Alright, we won't go to the mall for ice cream. Anywhere else you have in mind?"
~.~.~
It was just her luck that something like this would happen. She wanted to laugh at herself, or cry. She had seemingly proved that dodging fate was nearly impossible.
Tomoyo and Keung entered a local ice cream shop near the library. When they passed through the door Tomoyo had looked up to see none other than Eriol Hiirigizawa. She feigned a delighted surprise rather than an unpleasant one.
"Eriol-kun, it's good to see you." Tomoyo said. "I thought you would be at the mall with Sakura-chan and Syaoran-kun."
"I could say the same for you." Eriol said lightly, but his eyes held a playful look. "I've been sent by Nakuru to pick up a gallon of rocky road."
"I don't believe we've been introduced." Keung interjected, stepping forward.
Tomoyo mentally scolded herself. "Oh, Chan-kun, this is Eriol Hiirigizawa. Eriol-kun, this is Keung Chan."
The two boys shook hands. The air around them seemed to waver for a moment. Tomoyo felt more than she saw the waver and blinked many times at their clasped hands.
"Nice to meet you." Keung said.
"And you." Eriol replied.
"Number 84," A girl called from behind the counter.
"That's my number." Eriol announced, going up to the counter and grabbing a gallon tub of rocky road ice cream.
Tomoyo studied his smile as he walked past her on his way out. "I'll see you later then?"
He brushed her arm ever so lightly with his fingertips, sending sensations through her skin that reminded her of blue butterflies. She glanced down at her arm where he had touched her and goose bumps were rising. How strange.
"Do you like it?"
Tomoyo was startled by the question. She looked up at Keung quickly, ready to confess all her inner feelings. But she followed his gaze and saw that he was staring at a banana split another couple was sharing.
"Yes," Tomoyo answered slowly, "I do like it."
Even with their surprise run-in with Eriol, it didn't put a stop to Keung and Tomoyo enjoying their ice cream. She was happy when they agreed on the flavor of the scoops, and was even more pleased when he let her choose the toppings. As they sat and laughed with each other the more they ate (and the more sugar entered their bloodstream) Tomoyo couldn't help but feel that his really was a date. Of course, she wouldn't way anything that might ruin such a wonderful day.
After their ice cream, Keung insisted on walking Tomoyo home. Part of Tomoyo believed that he just wanted to know where she lived so that he could visit her any time. As freaked out as she might have been if it were any other guy, she wasn't because it was Keung. She wanted him to know where she lived so that he would stop by unexpectedly and visit her. As she had heard Chiharu say before, 'It's not stalking if you like it.'
Tomoyo mentally smacked herself, not the first time that day.
"We're here." Tomoyo announced as she stopped in front of the gates to her house.
"Wow," Keung breathed, "this is some place you've got."
Tomoyo blushed and glanced at her home. "Yes well, it's too big for just me and my mom. It gets lonely sometimes."
She peered innocently at Keung, but he didn't catch her meaning.
"Thanks again for helping me with English." Keung said, smiling.
"And thanks for buying me ice cream." Tomoyo said, smiling back.
Keung grabbed Tomoyo's left hand with both of his in an unexpectedly bold gesture. The girl's breath caught and the blood rushed to her cheeks. Somewhat uncomfortably though, the fingers on her right hand began to pulse.
"Would you mind meeting again next weekend?" Keung asked tentatively.
"No," Tomoyo said, shaking her head. "I wouldn't mind at all."
The dark-haired girl drew her right hand behind her back to hide her uncontrollably twitching fingers. It felt as if her fingers would tear themselves from her hand. She just focused on Keung's eyes and tried to ignore it.
"Is something wrong?" He asked, reaching up to touch her face.
Pain exploded in her fingers. She slammed her eyes shut only to see blood. An ocean full of blood. She remembered strong arms hugging her, although she knew she had never been held that way before. She remembered soft lips kissing hers, even though she had never kissed anyone before. She remembered anger, pain, and more blood. He was laughing at her pain…Apollo? No, someone else.
"Tomoyo!"
Her eyes locked onto Keung's worried ones. He held her face in both of his hands. They stayed standing still for a moment, just like that. As Tomoyo allowed her mind to work again, she became more aware of his hands on her face, and how close he was to her. She tried to breathe in deeply.
"I think I might be sick." Tomoyo lied quietly.
She was somewhere between feeling terrified of going back to that place in her mind and feeling light headed because Keung was so close to her. She didn't know what to do, so she just fell forward and he caught her in an embrace.
"I'll walk you inside, alright?" Keung said gently.
"Thank you," Tomoyo whispered.
Even though her heart was beating hard from both fear and contact with the boy she liked, Tomoyo couldn't seem to focus on what was going on. She kept thinking back to earlier at the ice cream shop when Eriol had lightly brushed his fingers against her skin and to just a few moments ago when Keung had called out her name. Only her name.
~.~.~
VictorianPearl: Hmm, things are getting stranger.
Li: But the chapter can't be over yet. Now I have more questions than I do answers.
VictorianPearl: But you don't have any answers.
Li: Exactly.
VictorianPearl: I'm sorry, but you'll just have to wait until the next chapter, when Tomoyo's secret crush becomes not-so-secret. ;)
