Eriol hummed to himself, then shook his head and erased and rewrote something. Shaking the paper off, he held it up. It glowed briefly, and then the sounds of a piano could be heard. After a few measures, a voice joined in. He sat back, his back resting against the tree he was currently perched in. It sounded good up until about the middle of the third page. As a matter of fact, it sounded good all the way through, but… The quality of the music couldn't solve his more pressing problem: he needed a set of experiences in the voice of the singer. Experiences he knew that his voice, Tomoyo, didn't have.

The piece he was working on was melancholy and sad. It had been a while since he had written something sad…it should be close to three and a half years. But this piece was sad, and the singer needed to convince the audience that she was heartbroken. Something Tomoyo couldn't do, not this many years after she had let go of Sakura, not after this many years of realising that she never really loved Sakura. He held no doubts that his voice-spirit-essence thing was correct, but he wanted to write this song with its heartbroken singer. Had it really been three and a half years since he left Kaho? Seemed like much less. And if Spinel was right (and he knew that he was), it was because of Tomoyo.

Very quickly (because if he became happy, this song wouldn't be drafted in time for his elective, Independent Music Theory), he remembered how he met Tomoyo. How he been stranded at the airport after seeing her off to America. Him out of magic to transport himself home. And Tomoyo had been there too, accompanying Sakura and Syaoran as they left for Hong Kong, catching them on tape. It had been July the first when he had taken her offer to stay with her before returning to England. It had been September the first when he finally dragged himself to leave, and September the third when he had been commissioned by St. Xavier to meet a young lady at a private airstrip near Glasgow.
They had been joined at the hip since. The best of friends. Otomodachis until the end. Eriol frowned slightly; he felt as if there was some sort of worm in him that had just wiggled. But he didn't-

The music stopped abruptly, and he sat up immediately, his mind working double-time. It should have continued playing, so that meant that someone had terminated his spell. Stuffing his paper into his coat pocket, he looked around cautiously. It couldn't have been Nakuru; she wasn't due to return from Australia until the beginning of February, and it was still January. And Spinel wouldn't play pranks like that. Then who…?

"SHIT!"

Eriol nearly fell out of his tree. Who on earth could that have been? It was way to early for anyone but him. He knew that voice too, but who…oh.

"Amori-san? What are you doing here?" Eriol jumped down and walked towards her, noting that she was trembling.

"Me? Oh, I wasn't doing anything."

"Well, you seem like something didn't work. Did you get some sort of splinter?" He motioned towards the branch she was holding, and she jumped.

"Oh, of course not. It's just this tree. It's…dying."

"Actually, it's not. It's really healthy."

"How would you know that?"

Because I can see its life force. "Did some tree stuff in school."

"Oh. Well, it was always healthy. It was, really."

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"No reason. Well, I'll see you at breakfast then."

Eriol watched her confusedly as she stood there, obviously uncomfortable but not moving an inch. "Is there some reason that you can't move?" he glanced around at the park, looking to see if the trees here were evil or something. He couldn't detect anything strange; the trees all had small seeds of power stored deep in their trunks. But then… "Wait, this tree is really, really, really healthy. It's…um…" It's glowing as if you took it and dipped it into the centre of the sun.

"Look, I think you need to leave."

Eriol noted, suddenly, that she was paling rapidly while the tree was glowing brighter and brighter with every passing second. Something wasn't right here; as a matter of fact, something was very wrong.

With a strangled yell, Eriol felt himself (because he couldn't have actually consciously decided to interrupt a magical transfer of power uninvited. Oh, no) run towards the grip that Mina had on the tree, slapping it away. He felt her fall down, and he turned around to look for around for about three seconds before fainting dead away.

~*~

When he could feel it heating up a bit, it wasn't time to get up. Probably just Spinel turning on the heat, since he was a sun guardian.

When he could feel Spinel walk over him, he ignored it. His guardian had many ineffective ways of trying to wake him up.

When Spinel started to nibble his ear, he knew it was time to sit up. Looking to the side, he yelped as he came face-to-face with a squirrel that started yapping at him, and then scampered away. Shaking his head, he turned around and saw Mina trying to sit up not more than four metres away. It was obvious that she had dragged herself that far, and that she couldn't lift her body up for more than three seconds at a time.

"Look, Hiiragizawa, please don't ask me any questions."

Magic. "Magic."

"What? What do you mean, magic? There's no such thing as magic."

Eriol sat up with slight difficulty and fixed her with a penetrating stare. He'd make up for his humiliation. Adopting a voice that he knew he'd hate, he said, "Well, jeez, it sure seemed like something supernatural knocked me out, if you know what I mean."

"There's no such thing as magic."

"Aw, it's a pity you say that. I believe that there is such a thing as magic…you know, earth magic and stuff." By the look on her face, he could tell that he had guessed correctly. "The life forces of trees, plants, grass, that stuff."

"I-there's no…can you keep a secret?"

"Of course. Why?"

"Because I…promise you won't tell?"

Eriol raised one hand, realising his mistake as the loss of support caused him to topple over. "I promise I won't tell."

"I-I have magic. I know it sounds weird, unbelievable, but I can do magic with trees and stuff and I'm not crazy please believe me?"

Eriol smirked and went back to his normal voice, tingeing it with a small bit of Clow Reed. "Tsk, tsk, Amori-san. Took me not even a half a minute to get that out of you. Do you know, if you asked the future head of the Li clan that question, it would take you nearly a month to wake up from your coma? What, why do you look so surprised?"

"But-what-I mean-"

"You're not the only one with magic around here." Winking, he opened his palm, displaying a small ball of light. Not too flashy, not too plain. He had to concentrate however, since she was still unconsciously trying to end all spells she encountered. "You must not have had much training. There weren't any boundaries on that spell. I'm guessing that it was sick and you were trying to heal it?"

"Yeah. Well, my 'kaa-san started to teach me, since I came into it pretty late, around 18. But then she died, and I couldn't keep myself away from that tree. It was so dead, and it made me itchy all over… I can't help it! It's so irritating, not being able to control my magic…"

"I-I could teach you for a bit, if you like. I have a guardian, and he can help too. Great teacher. And it'll be irritating if you keep fainting in the park." He smiled wryly to try and mask his nervousness.

"Really? That would be great! I mean…" she took a deep breath, staring at him intently, "look…I forgive you for whatever I said earlier. Oh, not just because I need your help, I've been planning this for a while…if I was in your place, I'd think 'tou-san was boring too. So, if it's not too much of an inconvenience, tutoring would be very helpful. Normally, I'd dance around the subject longer, but I desperately need some sort of control over this stuff." She scrambled to her feet, dusting herself off. "I have an early class, and I have to go, but I'll talk to you later. Thank you so much!"

Eriol watched her run off, and then jumped up, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet. Glancing at the clock tower, he looked around, nodding slowly. Looks like it's another day to be late.

~*~

Eriol raised his eyebrows as he walked into his class early and saw Mina, already settled and clearly bored. He smirked slightly, placing his books in front of her and leaning down. "For further reference, Speech Writing is a late morning class, not an early one. Tell me you haven't been sitting there for the last half an hour."

Mina smiled weakly. "Hole in one."

Eriol cringed when Tomoyo walked in a few minutes later, and stopped dead. "Mina, you're in my seat!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'll move…"

Eriol wanted to smack her. Albeit lightly.

"Nah, just kidding. You, move." She pushed some kid out of the desk to the right of Mina's desk, and plopped down just as the teacher walked in.

"Okay class, let's all get ready and settled in…well, so far we've covered persuasive speeches, engaging speeches, and covet speeches. Today, we are starting the unit on emotional speeches, where the speaker really feels what they're saying. And to begin with, I've picked…" she flipped over the binder she was holding, "Romeo and Juliet Modified: the eternal love story told in individual monologues. Oh, come on, what?" The last sentence had been said exasperatedly as groans greeted the sight of the large Shakespeare play. "It'll teach you about true love, to begin with. Mina, can you tell me what is love?"

Mina froze. "Ah…no ma'am, I don't know what love is."

"Really? Tomoyo! What are you doing? Answer the question."

Tomoyo felt her face heat up almost instantly and quickly dropped the rubber band she was holding. "Oh, the question, huh? Um…well…you see, I don't really-"

"Are you telling me that no-one here can give me a definition of what love is? Here, where I see people making out every few seconds? Eriol, do not give me that look. You tell me what love is."

Tomoyo snorted quietly as Eriol raised one eyebrow. No doubt he would brush off the teacher with some insolent remark that would get him in trouble for all of three minutes-

"Simple. Love is friendship."

Tomoyo froze, the pencil she had been playing with dropping to the desk with a small clink.

"If she isn't my friend, then I can't be in love with her. If I can't talk to her openly, if I can't confide my deepest fears to her, if I can't love her company, then she's not my friend and I can't love her. So, love is friendship." He smirked again, then leaned back, his head right under Mina's.

Tomoyo stared at the back of his head as the teacher continued to talk, something about a delightful concept and the unit on Romeo and Juliet. Eriol's words just seemed to go through her head over and over again.

Love is friendship.

It was weird, because he said insightful things all the time (love is friendship), and this was normal stuff. He had said something about love (is friendship) the other day, something about something happening in his heart, but she couldn't remember that (love is friendship). The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. But then…if love is friendship, then where would that put Eriol in her life? Where did that put her?

"Oi! Wake up, the teacher's handing out parts up front. Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Tomoyo, for the first time, couldn't bring herself to look into Eriol's concerned eyes (love was friendship, and his eyes were pretty, all shifty between purple and blue and azure, but she'd never noticed that before) and just shook her head and shrugged, wishing for the first time in a long time that her hair was not in a bun so it could cover her face. She settled instead for staring at the opposite side, acutely aware that he was still staring at her. When the teacher called her name, she started, falling ungracefully out of her seat. And he caught her, and she looked into his eyes that were all shifty and pretty. Shaking her head again, she ran up to the front of the room and back with her script, grateful to be able to cover her flushed face.

The paper was still warm from the copy room, and on the top it said, When is it Love?

~*~

Eriol raised his hand in protest as Tomoyo dashed out of class and down the hall before he could even say anything. After he realised that she had gone and had been gone for a while now, he spun around, smacking straight into-

"Oh! My stuff!" Mina dropped to the ground, gathering her scattered papers before anyone could step on them.

"Here, let me help." He deftly stacked them all the right way (cheating a little, but what's a little magic for personal gain in the large picture?) and handed them to her, watching her face carefully.

"Ano, arigato."

"No problem."

"You're always doing things like this, you know. First the lessons, now this…there must be some way I can make it up at some point."

Eriol raised one eyebrow, his hand reaching into one of his trouser pockets. "Many a great magician have been destroyed by saying those words, but I'll be nice. Friends?" he dangled the bracelet from before in front of her face, smiling when she snatched it and attempted to tie it herself.

"Here, let me help you."

~*~

Tomoyo leant against the pillar in the girl's common room, resisting the urge to smack her head against it. How had she run away? Why had she run away? Why did the three seconds she had missed spending with Eriol keep coming back to haunt her?

"I…am such an idiot. However, I…am so not in…I do not…He's just a…"

Why couldn't she say what she meant to say?

~*~

Mina lay on her back on her bed, shifting every three seconds as she tried to read her Lit book. So boring…so irritating…so much English…

"Hello there."

She let out a small scream and turned around, nearly passing out when she saw Eriol through her 2nd story window. Running to the windowsill, she hissed, "Eriol, this is my house! My father lives here!"

"Oh. Okay, which do you want? Chocolate or flowers or a teddy bear?"

"Um, I don-"

"Just kidding, didn't bring one."

"Eriol!"

"Brought all three!" he brought out a small package from behind his back, "Oh, it's cold."

"Of course it's cold, it's January. But…you're right, it is cold."

"Okay, I'll come in if you insist…no need to persist." He hoisted himself through the window despite her protests, jumping onto her bed. "Hey, not fair. Come see y bed, it's awful."

"Eriol, why are you here?"

"Oh, I've read that. That's the one where the girl's looking for her real parents and realises that her foster parents killed them, right?"

"Oh, thanks."

"No, really. See, right here, she confronts them and her foster mother breaks down-"

"Now why do I have to force my way through this?"

"Oh. Whoops, sorry. Actually, not really."

"You didn't answer my question. Why are you here?"

"Felt lonely. Passed your house. Decided to stop by."

"Oh." There was a pause, awkward only on Mina's side. "Eriol, I-"

"Mina, I really like you. Go out with me Friday?"

"I…" she closed her eyes, breathing for a few seconds to calm herself, "I'd love to."

Eriol smiled, noting that there were voices from downstairs coming up the stairs. "And it looks like I have to go…farewell, dearest Mina!" He disappeared with a small 'click', reappearing further down the road to the girl's dormitories. He glanced around for a second to make sure no-one was coming, then jumped up and down in joy, until he fell on top of someone.

"Eriol! Get up! You're too heavy!"

Eriol laughed and sat down beside Tomoyo. "Nah, you're just too light."

"What're you doing here?"

"Just coming to visit you." He smiled for a second, and then pointed to the sky. "Look, a shooting star! I swear I didn't create it…come on, let's make a wish." He leaned his head until it was touching Tomoyo's, using his hand to cover both their eyes. Running through possible ways to phrase Mina and marriage, he snorted. Who was he kidding? What he really wanted was the friendship of Tomoyo…he knew how corny he sounded, but he pushed that aside as he contemplated what he was trying to say.

When everything was over and done, Spinel made perfect sense. Tomoyo had given him a normal life, something that Clow had spent two lifetimes lusting after. And when he thought about his life after college, he could never shake the image of him waking up and seeing his friend Tomoyo every day…every single day…

I wish that Tomoyo and I would always be-

Tomoyo stood up, smiling widely. "Okay, I made my wish. Eriol, it's time to go to bed. Oyasumi!"

Eriol watched in confusion as she literally sprinted away in her overlarge shirt and baggy pants (both his, he realised). Seemed to be a recurring theme.

~*~

"Who can't play for their life? Who? Who?" Tomoyo caught the ball under the net and stopped, walking over to Eriol. "Come on. You're playing horribly. What's wrong?"

Eriol sat down on one of the bleachers, motioning for her to sit on the seat next to him. "I…I have a date with Mina tonight."

Tomoyo blinked, stunned, but quickly recovered. "You actually worked up the nerve to ask? When?"

"Day before yesterday. Wednesday."

Tomoyo said the first thing that came to her head. "Liar. You weren't coming to visit me, you were visiting her."

"No, I pass her house as I visit yours, so I just made an extra stop. Besides, that's not the point. I'm nervous. For the first time. What's wrong with me?"

Tomoyo swallowed before responding, noting that Eriol's face looked utterly bleached. "Oh, it's nothing. Eriol, you know the drill. You'll go out with her, dump her after a few weeks, then find someone else." Tomoyo looked over his head, her expression almost sad.

Eriol shook his head, more to himself than Tomoyo. "No…no, I don't think so. I don't know why, but Mina's different. She's sweet, and funny, is so refreshingly honestly it's crazy, and she has this zeal for learning and just life in general…Tomoyo, I-"

Tomoyo stood up, cutting Eriol off abruptly. "Oh, look at the time! Sakura said she'd call me today, and I have to go receive the call…you'll do fine, you'll do great. Stop worrying and don't you dare run a hand through your hair." She turned around, smiled once, and then slipped out the door, immediately breaking into a sprint that carried her all the way to her house. The caller ID box showed that Sakura had already tried calling, so she hit speed dial '2' and fell back onto her bed.

"Tomoyo? Is that you?"

"Hai…"

"Where were you?"

"Talking to Eriol. He was all nervous and stuff about his date. Boys. They're so immature and blind. How can they be so stupid at times?"

There was a sharp intake of breath from the other line, and when Sakura spoke, it was slowly and deliberately. "So you didn't fight today?"

"Nah, he wasn't paying much attention to his game. Why?"

"Tomoyo…you…kami-sama, it's happened."

"What? Sakura, are you okay?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. But you…Tomoyo, you and Eriol-"

"There's nothing between me and Eriol."

Sakura gave an odd half-laugh, half-cry from the other end. "Oh my god, Tomoyo, it's finally happened. You've fallen for Eriol! Under the circumstances, however, I think it's more that you realised that you fell for Eriol."

Tomoyo forced a laugh. "Sakura, don't you think that's a bit strong? I mean…I don't like him in that way. In any case, there's a special chorus practice. So I have to go for that. And I have class now. You're just mistaken. I mean, you're just being Sakura. Oh, have a nice time at your retreat. I'll miss your calls, but I expect a gift. I mean, you could probably pick something during the month you'll be there…shoot, class. Okay, bye."

"Bye, Tomoyo, but I-"

Tomoyo lay back on her bed, breathing heavily. She had been babbling, she realised, but did that mean that Sakura was…? No, definitely not. She just had that fixation of setting everyone up. Yeah.

~*~

Come Monday, Tomoyo decided to visit Eriol's track meet. She decided that Sakura was mistaken, and that she was just friends with Eriol.

Once at the indoor track, she found a seat quickly. Not many people watching everyday track practices, she mused, scanning the crowd for Eriol.

"I-is this seat taken?"

Tomoyo raised one eyebrow at Mina, and then looked around the mostly empty gym. "Nah, go ahead." She glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, trying to mimic her self-confident stance. Legs crossed at both above the knee and at the ankles (um…), purse (her bookbag would have to do), and slight tilt of the neck (she had a feeling that her head was about to hit her shoulder). Failing miserably, she cast around for a topic.

"So, have a nice-"

"Tomoyo, I wanted-"

"Oh, you go first. Hey, Eriol! Don't trip!" she stuck her tongue out, grateful that she had found her friend and that the earlier moment of awkwardness had been just that – a moment.

"Tomoyo, I wanted to ask you about Eriol."

"Huh?"

"Tomoyo, I…you're his best friend, right?"

Tomoyo started to say something, but froze when she saw Mina's face. Words could not describe it; she was happy and sad, impulsive and restrained, optimistic and pessimistic all in one. Tomoyo paused, her words fading into nothingness. With great effort, she smiled, shaking her head. "Iie, Mina. Eriol is my best friend." Suddenly, she couldn't stand to be in the stuffy gym, so she excused herself and bolted for the door before Mina could say anything.

"But then…you love him, don't you?" Mina said softly, her voice barely heard above the pounding of the track team's feet.

~*~

Eriol wrapped his arms around Mina, leaning over her shoulder at the book she was reading.

"Foster parent's killed them, foster parents killed them…"

Mina laughed a little, swatting him on the head with her book. "Stop it, I have to read this. You're not helping."

Eriol stood up straight, pretending to be highly offended. He surveyed the school grounds lazily. It had snowed just a little last night, and everyone was decked out in dull winter clothes. The only thing that stood out was the wobbling, neon lamppost that was moving closer.

Eriol shook his head and pulled out a handkerchief to clean his glasses. Stupid things, he had gotten contacts a while ago but had forgotten to clean them. When he put them back on, the supposed lamppost had come into focus just a few metres away from the two of them. There was a pause as he, Mina, and the people sitting on the benches around them stared at Tomoyo, and she stared back, slightly shivering.

It wasn't a surprise. Tomoyo had worn a neon orange mini skirt with an oddly patterned spaghetti strap top. Her face looked oddly clown-like, with her red lips and orange eye shadow. Eriol remarked to himself, in the silence, that the outfit didn't look bad…it just looked horribly out of place on Tomoyo. And this was the genius behind the trendy TD?

Tomoyo smiled brightly, showing off a set of almost eerily white teeth. "Hi guys. So, how do I look?"

Eriol tried to smile and force his mouth to say something. He was interrupted when everyone around them burst into hysterical peals of laughter. Eriol tried for a few seconds to resist, but pretty soon he was clutching his stomach laughing. Mina hit him over the head a few more times, lightly, but even she was breaking out every now and then, though milder.

The smile on Tomoyo's face started to fade as people began to jeer at her. She glanced around quickly, blushing and cursing at the same time. She hated being the centre of attention, couldn't stand people laughing at her…now shivering and wishing that she hadn't taken Sakura's advice to 'be just a tad bit feminine', Tomoyo bit her lip and ran past Eriol to a picnic table.

She knew she couldn't sit down, so she settled for dumping her backpack on the table and attempting to wipe off the thick makeup with her hands.

"Ano…this might…there's a spot over there…" Mina appeared in her field of view, holding a light green cloth. "It's makeup remover, so it'll get everything off."

Tomoyo sniffed a bit and took it, wiping her face until she was sure it was bright red. She stuffed the wipe into her pocket, not caring about the stains. "I'm so stupid…here I was, thinking that I could be as beautiful as you…"

Mina shook her head vehemently. "Tomoyo, you are beautiful!"

Tomoyo tried to laugh, but it came out sounding bitter over the slight chatter of her teeth. "Yeah, right. Didn't you hear those people laughing?"

"Tomoyo, those people were all-"

"-idiots like me." Eriol walked to the other side of Tomoyo, wrapping her in his arms so that her head rested comfortably under his. "Tomoyo, you don't need all that makeup and skirt crap to look beautiful. Actually, you are the most beautiful, since you're special. You don't need to change anything about you, and you could still get anyone you want."

Tomoyo pulled away, looking up into his eyes. "Anyone?"

"Anyone."

"Anyone?"

Eriol shook his head, smiling, as he hugged her again. "Anyone. They'd just have to be blind."

Mina smiled as Tomoyo muttered something and weakly hit Eriol on the chest. Her smile faded a tiny bit when she tried to do something, only to realise that Tomoyo had all the support she needed.

"Who gave you that lipstick? It's awful!"

"Chiyo."

"Really? Well, I'll have to give her yet another beating then…oi, we need to get you somewhere, you're freezing. Here, take my jacket."

"But you'll get cold!"

"Nah, I can use some spells to keep me warm. Just too tiring to use on a daily basis, especially after dealing with you everyday."

"Hmph. Come, help me back. I can barely walk in these things. What the- Hey! Help! Put me down!"

Mina gathered her things quietly, watching as Eriol started sprinting to the girls' dormitories, Tomoyo slung over his shoulder. Shaking her head, smiling, she headed after them slowly towards her house.

~*~

"Love is strange…love is interesting…but above all…" Amori-san warbled, badly off tune, while playing the piano. Mina covered her ears.

"'tou-san!"

"Eriol!"

"'tou-san?"

"Of all people to fall in love with, did you have to pick Eriol?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Thought you could keep it a secret from your father, did you? Then again, I would have felt bad if it had been anyone else either. Because then I'd have to share your love with him."

"I don't thin-"

"I looove you Eriol."

"Something tells me t-"

"I want to marry you Eriol!"

"I have a feelin-"

"Have you told him yet?"

"That's what I'm trying to get to!" Mina smiled at the familiar technique of her father, one of the only people who could get her riled up. "It's just that…I think that Tomoyo and Eriol-"

Amori stopped playing the piano abruptly. "There is nothing between Tomoyo and Eriol. They're just friends."

Mina rested her head on her chin, pursing her lips. "Hai, hai. But I just know that under their deep friendship lies an even deeper love."

Amori shook his head in time to the music. "The whole college knows that there's nothing between Tomoyo and Eriol. Tomoyo and Eriol have both said so themselves. They are nothing more than the best of friends. As a matter of fact, they're more like twins than friends. But other than that…Hiiragizawa Mina, there's nothing stopping you."

"'tou-san!"

~*~

"Oh, and the weathermen have been forecasting rain for about…a week now, telling us that there's a hundred percent chance for the rain we're not receiving…" Tomoyo trailed off, getting the distinct impression that Sakura was doing naught but waiting patiently for her to stop talking randomly. She was right.

"Tomoyo, it's been a month since I've spoken to you. As a matter of fact, it's Valentine's Day now."

"Hai, Sakura-sama."

"So?"

"So?"

"So?"

"What?"

"No, Tomoyo, you know what I mean! Have you told him?"

"Told…okay, okay! Well…no."

"Why not?"

"Because he likes someone else. He's actually been seeing Amori Mina for over a month now. Isn't that amazing? I'm so happy for him!"

"No, you're not. I don't care if he had been dating this Tina Mina whatever for a year, I'd still make you tell him."

"But why?"

Sakura took a deep breath before continuing, trying to let go of some of her steam. "Tomoyo, things like this shouldn't be kept as secret. Especially not to someone like Eriol, who has been your other half for the most important years of your life. Promise me you'll tell him? Hopefully today?"

Tomoyo pulled at her hair, which was in a loose form of her customary bun. It fell a little more, but she didn't pay attention. Finally, after firming her resolve, she promised, "Sakura, I am telling Eriol today."

"Good. Now go!"

Tomoyo nodded into the phone, before realising that Sakura couldn't see her. Placing it down gently, she checked the clock. Only a few minutes before she would be the late one. And she was supposed to be meeting him at the abandoned western commons, conveniently located on the other side of campus.

Tomoyo relished the feeling of the wind rushing at her face as she sprinted past empty dorms and the deserted commons. One of the great things about her elective, Independent Music Theory, was that she didn't have to arrive early, since Eriol would be late.

Today, however, Eriol was already waiting when she arrived at the small, enclosed park. He was apparently lost in thought, fiddling with a stray plant that kept changing from a cattail to multicoloured roses and back. Tomoyo suddenly became aware that her hair had come out of its bun, and that it was currently cascading in frizzy waves down her back.

Eriol noticed that she had arrived and jumped up as if electrocuted. He walked over to her briskly, his eyes clearly shocked by the amount of hair that her complicated, twisted updo had held for the past years.

Tomoyo took a deep breath. "Eriol, I-"

"-I love you."

Tomoyo felt her breath catch in her throat as time stopped. Eriol was still fiddling with the plant, now a blood red colour. "I really love you."

Tomoyo tried again to clear her throat. Tears had formed behind her eyes, and she tried half-heartedly to keep them from falling. And Eriol…Eriol was running a hand through his already messy hair, a sure sign of nervousness.

"Shit. I never expected to say this to anyone, but I love you."

Tomoyo took another deep breath and started, "Eriol, I-"

"I've been trying to tell her for a little bit now. I want to say it, but I never seem to be able to find the courage. Just three simple words…four, if you count her name…"

Eriol was still talking, but Tomoyo had tuned him out. Hesitantly, she asked, "Who's her?"

Eriol looked at her as if she were mad. "Mina, of course. Come on, let's try that again. I'm Eriol, and you're Mina, if I squint really hard…okay, no more fooling around." He stood up straight, holding the rose in front of Tomoyo for a second before throwing it away. Without fidgeting, he looked Tomoyo in the eye and said, "I love you."

Tomoyo knew that a few tears had fallen down her cheeks and didn't care. Softly, she heard herself say, "I…I love you too…"

"You really think she'll say that?"

Tomoyo bobbed her head up and down, still experiencing the odd sensation of being in a tank of water where everything was muted and silent.

"Oh, come here." Eriol enveloped her in a hug, and she let her head fall limply on his shoulder. He was telling her not to be so emotional, since it was scaring him, and then requesting that she stop trying to squeeze the life force out of him. He relaxed a bit as the promised rain started to fall, saying something softly into her ear that she didn't quite catch, but the meaning was clear. Tomoyo just hugged him tighter for a split second, blinking hard, and then forced her face into a smile as she pulled away.

"So I should tell her then?"

Tomoyo felt slightly dizzy from nodding so hard, but continued to do so anyway. Her inner self was telling her to actually say something, but Eriol was already on the way to leaving. He quickly shook both her hands at once, twitched her nose…

And then he was gone. Gone, racing through the still deserted commons to find the one he loved.

Tomoyo couldn't take it anymore. She sank to the muddy earth, her hair covering her face as she cried her heart out, letting the frosty rain wash away her tears and soak her to the bone.

~*~

"Sakura, I'm going back. 'kaa-san is sick with a bad flu, and Daidouji Co. needs me. I'm packed, I'm leaving today, and there's a train to our private airstrip in half an hour."

"You…what?" Sakura slumped onto the beanbag chair that Syaoran had insisted on placing there, the one that had irritated her to no end. Now it stuck at odd angles into her back, and she clutched an odd protrusion to steady her head.

"I'm going back. I'll transfer. There's some university, Chiba or something, I'll go there."

"Is that…?"

"Actually, it's the university that Mina transferred from. Isn't that great?"

"Tomoyo, you can't. I…I'm forbidding you."

"Who are you to forbid me?" Tomoyo's laugh was slightly bitter, signifying that her tone wasn't all joking. "Who are you, with your perfect life, to tell me that mine will work out?"

"Look, Tomoyo, I-" There was an abrupt click on the other end, and Sakura let out a hiss. She glanced at the calendar. Just a day ago, she had been edging on Tomoyo…and now? Was this her fault?

Picking up the phone, she dialled the number of the only person who could help now.

~*~

"Come on…Tomoyo, Tomoyo, Tomoyo, where are you? Mina, look at the end cars, I'll look up ahead." Eriol nodded to her before moving up ahead, shoving aside a few people and feeling not a bit sorry. If he squinted and moved his head like so, he could just see through the tinted windows of the train.

The train that was about to take his Tomoyo away to an airport. That would take her away to Japan.

Eriol shook his head and doubled his speed, staring at the never-ending sea of heads, looking for that one, black and white one with that odd bagel-shaped bun on the back…aha!

Tomoyo hurriedly wiped her eyes as the face she'd been daydreaming about materialised outside her window before running towards the cabin door. She dropped to the floor, picking up her hand baggage and attempting to stash it overhead.

Eriol shook his head, grabbing the bag from her easily. "You are positively mad."

"Eriol, please give me my bag."

"You get one letter, and wham! You're leaving."

"Eriol, 'kaa-san is sick, and the company needs me."

"Well, I need you too. Come on, let's go. I was worrying when you didn't turn up for our game." He started walking down the aisle towards the door. Tomoyo stumbled after him.

"Eriol, I need to go." Tomoyo ran into her bag as Eriol turned around abruptly.

"Stay until spring break."

"Look, I-"

"Stay until the end of the term."

"Eriol, listen-"

"At least take final exams."

"Eriol, I'm not coming back for exams!" Tomoyo flinched as her outburst caused Eriol to pause. "I'm not taking finals, Eriol…I'm leaving."

"You're leaving. You're leaving, and just now you're telling me." Eriol dropped her bag, seemingly disbelieving.

"Eriol, just hear-"

"Forget it." He walked down the steps, keeping his face forward.

"Eriol, please-"

"I don't want to know."

"Come on-"

"I don't care!"

Tomoyo stopped at the edge of the train, finally tearing her gaze off the back of Eriol and towards Mina. Mina, who was wearing the same thing that she had worn on that first day of school, when the whole mess had started. Tomoyo laughed, partially at herself, and glanced down at what she was wearing. Same thing from that same day. She marvelled at the difference between them. Mina, with her orange mini-skirt and orange tank, with her hair falling, stick-straight, just past her shoulders. And her, with her faded denim jeans, straight cut, with a generic purple shirt that supposedly made her eyes look lavender.

She pulled out a crumpled handkerchief, monogrammed with her initials. She dabbed at her eyes while pretending to blow her nose, looking just above Mina's head. A sudden, violent gust of wind caught her by surprise, and the handkerchief blew out of her hands, only to be caught, with one graceful move, by Mina. Tomoyo stared at her, willing her face to appear blank.

The train whistle blared, startling all three of them. Eriol tapped his foot a few times. The bustle in the station rose for a few moments before quieting down again, and the platform became deserted. The three of them didn't move, each thinking their own thoughts.

The second whistle blew, two in rapid succession. Eriol turned around slowly as the train began to pull out of the station. The disbelief was even more pronounced as he watched it move, as if he expected Tomoyo to jump out any second. Shaking his head, he swore before running after it.

Catching up to Tomoyo's car, he paced himself. "Tomoyo, please don't go. Who will I play basketball with?"

Tomoyo smiled through her tears for a second before scolding, "Go, you've bothered me enough. Go bother Mina."

"Tomoyo, I'll fall."

"Then fall!"

"Tomoyo…"

"You don't need me anymore. You have Mina now, stop chasing after those stupid girls."

"Hey!" Eriol stuck out a pointing finger, losing his pace just slightly.

"Hey!" Tomoyo pointed back, glad that at least one thing had remained constant.

Eriol fell back, aware that pretty soon he would fall flat on his face. "Tomoyo, I-I'll miss you!"

"I'll miss you too!"

Eriol smiled, sticking out his right hand, then his left. Moving further and further away, Tomoyo did the same. Conscious that tears were forming behind his eyes, he twitched his nose, smiling even wider when Tomoyo did the same.

And then she was gone. Gone, away to some airport where she would be off to someplace he couldn't find her.

And then, for some reason, he had the queerest sense of loss. As if half of him had just sped away with that god-forsaken train, and it had taken with it some sort of marvellous opportunity that he had always assumed would be there, right alongside this vacant, hollow half of himself he was left with.

Mina walked forward, still clutching the handkerchief. She felt her heart shattering into a million pieces at the look on Eriol's face. It was as if all the sadness from two lifetimes, two very long lifetimes, was present, at that moment, on one face belonging to a heartbroken man. Mina felt herself start to tear at the second expression on Eriol's face, one of utter, absolute confusion and bewilderment.

It was then I realised that perhaps, just perhaps, I had come between Eriol and Tomoyo. Maybe, I had come between two friends whose love was so strong, so deep, that not even they realised it.

Tomoyo's silence told me everything. She did not call, she did not write, and the elusive Daidouji heiress became a sort of dream that Eriol insisted on keeping alive.

Your father is alone now, and won't say anything. But he needs love, someone to love. This someone is Tomoyo. This love is Tomoyo.

Find Tomoyo and fulfil her first love. Reunite Eriol with his first love. This is a mother's last bequest to you, her daughter. There is no doubt in my mind that I, Hiiragizawa Mina, was the destroyer of Tomoyo and Eriol. Think of this as an old woman's reflection. Can you fulfil it? No, you must fulfil it.

Find and reunite Tomoyo and Eriol.

This is your mother's last dream.

Much love,

Hiiragizawa Mina

~* TBC *~

AN: Actually finished eons ago, revisited on 03/02/04. Made some minor corrections to fit with my canon, and changed a few typos (wigging to wiggling). In case you didn't understand the beginning type part, what I was getting at was Eriol somehow bottled the essence of Tomoyo and used that to test his pieces. So, whatever Tomoyo can do, his essence can do. ^^
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wicherwill ^_^