A Prince for a Price
Like all wealthy families, the Daidouji family has a secret for their success and fortune. But the secret has been suddenly revealed during the heiress'18th birthday when she was taken away by a group of men as part of a certain deal: to give the Hiiragizawa clan the next generation heir.
Chapter 7
Meet Nakuru
"We were a bit clumsy today, Mori. Sorry." Eriol gave a chuckle while Tomoyo just buried herself deeper into the towels.
"Erioooooooool! I missed you!" a loud woman suddenly came from the living room and ran towards them, bringing the still-wet Eriol into a big hug.
And Tomoyo wondered who the mystery girl is.
But she looked oddly familiar though. Now where did I see her before?
The lady who was currently hugging Eriol to no end had long brown hair, with some strands braided on one side, and had brown eyes as well. She was a tall one, Tomoyo observed, and for now, she couldn't tell how old she was considering how childish she looks right now.
The heiress could only blink at the ridiculous scene in front of her and not really wanting to disturb, but she accidentally let out a sneeze, causing the two to look at her.
"Oh, excuse me," Tomoyo said. The tall, mystery brunette released Eriol from her hold and walked towards Tomoyo, leaning down a bit to meet her eye level despite the situation she was in—with towels covering her and all. "Uh, yes?" She asked meekly.
The brunette lady just stared at Tomoyo for a few seconds until the raven-haired girl was the one who was trapped in her hug this time.
"You are so cute! You must be Tomoyo Daidouji, right? Oh, Uncle Hiiragizawa-san didn't make a mistake in choosing you as Eriol's wife! You are just so cute!" the tall lady shrieked while hugging Tomoyo, tighter with every sentence she says.
The people in the background could only sweatdrop at the scene in front of them and Eriol knew he already had to stop this madness.
"Oy, Nakuru, will you please stop torturing Tomoyo," Eriol said, grabbing hold of the girl named Nakuru from the backside and tried to pull her away from the Daidouji princess.
Nakuru pulled away as he said but she still stood in front of Tomoyo, this time with a teasing smile, "Eh? So you guys are now in first-name basis, huh? Tell me, did the big bad wolf force you to do this?"
"Big bad wolf?" Tomoyo smiled nervously.
"Nakuru," Eriol warned sternly.
Nakuru gave out a nervous laugh and stood up straight. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Ms. Daidouji. I'm Nakuru Akizuki, Eriol's cousin." She introduced herself.
Tomoyo nodded. "Nice to meet you too, Ms. Akizuki." And that's when she remembered where she first saw the lady, "Um… Are you the one who were interviewed on television the other day?" She asked.
Nakuru nodded. "Uncle Hiiragizawa-san asked me to do so for the sake of my cute little cousin right here. I had to pay a huge amount to great photo professionals to make your photos look as realistic as possible." She grinned. "Oh, and please I don't like to be called Ms. Akizuki, I feel so old! I'm only 24 years old, you know. So please, call me Nakuru instead."
Eh? She's already 24? Tomoyo could only smile at her and agreed, "Okay. Nakuru then,"
Nakuru couldn't help it once again and grabbed poor Tomoyo in her arms again. "You are just so adorable! May I call you Tomoyo? I'm pretty sure we could be great friends and I'll protect you from the big bad wolf over there." She said, obviously referring to the handsome Londoner behind them.
"Oh, okay," Tomoyo said but it was interrupted by another sneeze. Nakuru pulled away once more and asked, "And why are you two both wet? Eriol! What did you do to my adorable Tomoyo?" she gave a teasing glare to her cousin.
Eriol stared at her plainly. "And since when was she yours, Nakuru? You should already let her go; she's bound to get sick if she doesn't change soon." He said and motioned for one of the maids to assist Tomoyo. "It's already getting late; we should head to bed soon too." He added.
"You should take a shower too, Eriol." Tomoyo suggested as she already took a few steps to the stairs.
"You're right." Eriol agreed and walked upstairs as well.
"I'll see you in the morning, Tomoyo! We're going to have fun tomorrow, okay?" Nakuru waved from downstairs with a big smile. The heiress gave her a smile and disappeared into her room.
"Say, Mori," Nakuru called when they were the only ones left in the foyer.
"Yes, Ms. Nakuru?" Mori said.
"I like Tomoyo better than her. What do you think?" the brunette said, with suddenly a serious tone in her voice.
"We share the same opinions, Miss. But I don't think whatever we say to young master would make it change his mind."
"Nope," Nakuru grinned. "I don't think we need to tell him anything before he realizes it for himself. I mean really, disappearing the whole day with a girl you just met days ago, and she's supposedly engaged to you, is not really a normal thing—especially now that he got home with her dripping wet. I think he's bound to have a change of heart, someday."
"I suppose you're right," Mori agreed.
"And when that happens, Tomoyo will be able to be my cousin-in-law forever and ever and it's going to be so much fun!" Nakuru's swooning only made Mori sweatdrop at her crazy antics. "Well, I'm going to bed. I forgot to tell Eriol that I'm going to stay for a few days until their wedding. I'll just tell him tomorrow then. Good night, Mori!" She said and ran up to a vacant room she usually occupies when she visits the Hiiragizawa mansion.
Tomoyo breathed heavily as she leaned against the edge of her tub, her mind occupied with the events that happened to her just awhile ago. She frowned when she recalled meeting her friends at the coffee shop and mentioned her mother, allowing her to rethink what she's going to do when she meets her in person. She's bound to see her at her wedding, so what is she going to say to her when they meet again?
Ugh! Tomoyo grunted and splashed some water on her face. The splash suddenly made her remember the incidents she and Eriol had at the beach, this made her blush once more and she covered her face with her palms and sighed.
"What were you doing back there, Tomoyo? What about the whole indifference thing you agreed to yourself and the whole not falling in love with Eriol? You were obviously flirting with him!" she scolded herself.
But he said he wants to be friends with you. Her mind countered.
"I won't really consider that thing just friendship,"
Then maybe that's a good thing.
"No, it's not! I've already decided that I will leave after our deal is done."
He did say that you might change your mind about that, and that already meant something.
"No, it didn't mean anything. He was just obviously teasing me."
Maybe, maybe not; maybe he said that because he knows he's going to be lonely if you left after that.
"That's impossible!"
Tomoyo had enough arguing with her conscience and so she buried her whole body and face under the tub and let out a few bubbles while underwater. She rose up once more, giving a few last rinses to the soap that was covering her body.
Once she was through, she got out of the tub, dried herself with the fresh towels present, covered herself with the robe and got outside the bathroom. She took a random nightgown from the closet and let herself fall asleep on the big, comfy bed.
Eriol let out a yawn and stretched out his arms while walking downstairs to the dining hall for breakfast. He was still wearing his pyjama pants and t-shirt. He stepped lazily and rubbed his eyes as he walked down the familiar steps and managed to arrive at the hall safely.
"Good morning, Eriol!" the loud greeting was enough to snap him awake and gape at the brunette who was currently sitting beside Tomoyo at the table.
"Nakuru, what are you doing here?" he asked as he adjusted his glasses and walked towards his usual seat.
"That's so mean of you dear cousin, I just forgot to tell you last night that I'm going to be staying here for a couple of days." Nakuru said as she took a bite of her pancakes gleefully.
Eriol sighed; that would mean the peace around the mansion would be disrupted once more.
"Good morning," he greeted Tomoyo who was, like him, still wearing her night gown under a nice silky robe she was sporting on.
"G-Good morning," the dark-haired lass greeted back and took a sip of her morning tea.
Interesting, Nakuru thought as she observed the two other people around the table and noticed a little awkwardness around them.
"Say, did you guys go to the beach yesterday? Is that the reason why you were both soaking wet when you arrived?" She asked.
Eriol obviously wasn't answering her question so she turned to Tomoyo instead who nodded and said, "How did you know?"
Nakuru gave a giggle. "Because Mori noticed sand coming in from your feet so I'm just connecting the dots here."
That did made sense.
Suddenly, a black cat entered the hall and immediately jumped on Tomoyo's lap, much to her surprise and everyone else's.
"Um…" was all Tomoyo could say as she stared at the cat who was currently making itself comfortable on her lap.
"Ah! Suppie!" Nakuru exclaimed at the sight of her cat. "He must really like you, Tomoyo! He doesn't just jump onto people's laps like that especially since it's the first time he saw you."
"Thank you, I guess," Tomoyo said.
"Nakuru, please, we're eating. Can you take him off of Tomoyo's lap now?" Eriol sighed. He should've expected her to bring her cat along but now he can't do anything about it.
"Yes, yes," Nakuru said, took the black feline from Tomoyo's lap and placed him on the floor instead to avoid disturbing Tomoyo any longer. "Tell me Tomoyo," she called the attention of the heiress once more.
"Yes?"
"You didn't go around town with Eriol's bike, did you?" she asked with a hint of tease in her voice.
"Eh?" Tomoyo said.
"N-Nakuru!" Eriol called, knowing where this conversation was going to.
"Eh, so he did huh," the brunette said, resting her chin atop of her folded fingers and turned towards the Londoner. "I thought you only use that on special occasions, Eriol, or rather—on special people."
"Is that true?" Tomoyo turned to Eriol who was avoiding her gaze.
Nakuru answered for her by nodding. "Even I haven't ridden that bike of his; even just touching it would already earn me a mouthful from mister biker here. So consider yourself lucky, Tomoyo." She winked which made Tomoyo's cheeks red for a bit and just continued eating.
"Nakuru, please stop it," the heir said warningly, face clearly full of embarrassment.
"Well, it makes sense though. There're only three days left until your wedding so you might as well treat her like a good old buddy," she winked at Eriol, "right?"
Eriol just gave a low growl and continued eating his breakfast.
Oh, right; three more days. Tomoyo thought as she grabbed her cup once more.
"Well, it's not the wedding I'm excited for anyway," Nakuru said.
"What is it your excited about then?" Tomoyo asked, her cup still pressed a bit against her lips.
"Your very cute babies, of course! Make sure you do them fast, okay?" the brunette winked which made Tomoyo and Eriol almost choke on their food. "I'm pretty sure they're going to be so adorable! I can't wait!"
"Nakuru!" Eriol warned once more, face already red from all the things he's been hearing.
"Okay, okay. I'll stop now." Nakuru said with a pout. But her face brightened once more after an idea crossed her mind, "Say, Tomoyo," the heiress turned to her again, "What do you say we go out today? I'm pretty sure you're going to be bored if you're stuck with the big bad wolf here, so let's go out later okay?" She suggested with very convincing eyes, almost puppy ones too that made Tomoyo sweatdrop a bit.
"She can't, Nakuru," Eriol answered for her.
"Eh, why?" the brunette asked and Tomoyo looked at him, eyes wondering the same thing as well.
"Because the wedding organizer will be back here again; she left me a text message saying that she needs to fit Tomoyo's wedding dress." he answered.
"Wow, that's great! I get to see it beforehand, right Tomoyo? You'll let me see it on you?" Nakuru asked and Tomoyo nodded agreeing.
"I can't wait to see it too!" was the lass' answer, though she already has a vague idea on how it looks like.
"And then we'll go out," Nakuru grinned and Tomoyo can't say no. Besides, it's been awhile since she had a girl accompany her around, so why not? Nakuru seems like a fun companion.
"Wow! You look absolutely stunning, Tomoyo!" the brunette stared in awe at the Daidouji princess in front of her who was already wearing her wearing dress for a test drive.
"Thank you," Tomoyo said, feeling a bit embarrassed at her compliment but still felt happy.
"The dress is absolutely lovely. Oh just look at the details and flow, it's such a nice creation, Ms. Reina!" Nakuru observed the white tube gown: it had symmetric lining all over it, the skirt had many layers topped with a very glittery cloth, the whole gown was shimmering and the tail was also there. Tomoyo also had white gloves that reached until above her elbows making her look like a real princess.
"You think so?" the wedding organizer said. "I also think it's very lovely, but my designer wasn't the one who made the design."
"Eh? Who did?"
"Ms. Daidouji herself," Reina said proudly which made Tomoyo feel more embarrassed but proud.
"Really, Tomoyo? You're incredible! I didn't know you're a designer!" Nakuru squealed and gave Tomoyo a big hug.
"I expected no less from the Daidouji heiress; after all, she's the head designer for the Daidouji clothing line." Reina said.
"Oh my, Eriol sure is lucky to have you as a bride! His eyes will really pop once he sees you in this dress." Nakuru said.
Even if Tomoyo's hair wasn't pulled up nor does she have any makeup on, the whole look still made her look absolutely beautiful. Well, at least I get to design my own wedding dress and the others too. And she suddenly turned to the wedding organizer.
"Um, Ms. Reina?" Tomoyo called.
"Yes?"
"What about Sakura's and the other's dresses?"
"Oh, you mean your maid of honour and bridesmaids? I already had them sent to their houses." Reina smiled which made Tomoyo smile in return too. "Which reminds me," the organizer said as she took out another dress from a bag, this time it was lilac and turned to Nakuru, "Ms. Nakuru, this dress is yours. You're on the list of the bridesmaids for the wedding."
"Really?" Nakuru shined.
Reina nodded. "Mr. Hiiragizawa was the one who placed you on the list."
"That's so nice of him! Can I try it on?" and Reina nodded at the hyper lady.
As Nakuru ran off to a part of the room to change, Reina turned her attention back to Tomoyo. "Is the fit already perfect for you? Do we have to alter any of the measurements?" she asked and the lass just shook her head.
"I don't think I shouldn't eat much anymore, otherwise this won't fit me anymore." Tomoyo joked. "But I'm really grateful you used my design, Ms. Reina, I'm really happy!"
The other lady smiled and nodded. "I was actually surprised that you can think of a wedding dress design in such a short span of time, Ms. Daidouji. Well, maybe not." She said remembering what great talent the Daidouji lady has.
"What do you think?" Nakuru jumped out in the lilac long halter dress that reached the floor. It was an empire cut dress that emphasized her chest but managed to follow the curves of her body perfectly.
"You look really beautiful, Nakuru," Tomoyo commented.
"Thank you!" Nakuru then turned to the organizer. "I already like this dress. No more alterations are needed, thanks!" She said.
Reina nodded and packed her stuff. "You can keep those now; I shall see you again soon!"
Both ladies waved her goodbye and changed back to their clothes.
"Now that's done, let's go Tomoyo!"
It was another bright afternoon as the two girls walked around the mall. Eriol was still a bit hesitant to let Tomoyo go with Nakuru, or his so-called crazy cousin, but the latter convinced him otherwise. Tomoyo's trauma for the car was still there but Nakuru said that they'll be using her car instead, with her as the driver and Tomoyo in the passenger seat. The heiress didn't seem to mind and went with her.
"Say Tomoyo," Nakuru said and the other looked at her. "What do you think of my cousin?"
Tomoyo pondered for a bit and replied, "He's a nice guy. Kind of reserved though, but he's easy to talk to."
"Really," the brunette said. "You know about the whole deal right? Do you mind if I ask what you're going to do after you already fulfilled the contract?" she asked with a serious tone.
The heiress just shook her head, signalling it was okay to ask her. "I already told Eriol about it. I told him that I will leave after the baby is born." And this made her companion frown.
"Why?"
"Because the contract is only until there; Eriol told me that I can choose whatever life I want after my part is done, and I choose to go back to my normal life."
Nakuru's frown deepened. "So you're saying you're going to have your baby born, give it to Eriol, and then leave like nothing happened?"
Tomoyo looked at the floor as they walked. With the way the brunette said it, it made Tomoyo seem like a bad person when in reality, she was just a confused person who was dragged in the stupid deal. "It's not like I wanted this to happen to me," she mumbled.
"Fine, forget about my cousin for now, but what about your baby? Are you just going to let him or her live without a mother? Remember, that's the same thing that happened to Eriol when his mother immediately left him after he was born. I don't think he wants his son or daughter to have the same kind of trauma like he does right."
The raven-haired lass winced at her accusation but her straight face remained. "Isn't that a bit too much pressure or responsibility for me? I don't know. I know it sounds bad but I think it's going to be worse if I don't leave the house and make the baby think that his/her father and I are really in love, which is not the case."
"It could happen."
"Huh?"
"Maybe you'll fall in love with my cousin, and hopefully it's not too late once you realize that."
Tomoyo blushed. "I would never! Wait, what do you mean by too late?" She asked with a curious look.
Nakuru gave her a smile. "It's like what you said, he's a nice guy. Maybe there are others who are just waiting for him to be single again, you know."
The heiress blinked. "Then all the more reason I should leave him! I don't think I'm even the right girl for him so I'll just have the others get their way with him. I'm sure whoever Eriol chooses will become a great mother as well for our baby." And Nakuru, this time, didn't frown but pouted and let out her bottom lip and crushed Tomoyo in a big hug again.
"Oh Tomoyo! I like you very much than other women for my cousin! Please don't leave us!" Nakuru cried out that people around them were starting to watch them.
"Nakuru," Tomoyo whispered. "Please don't be sad. Oh, I know! Come on, let's go get ice cream." She suggested and this made the brunette pull away from her.
"Ice cream? Why?"
"Because it will make you the happiest person on earth," Tomoyo smiled, echoing what Eriol told her before at the park; as the other nodded, and both of them walked towards the nearest ice cream shop.
End of chapter
There's not much ExT here but hey, Nakuru's here! :D So what do you guys think?
Please don't forget to leave reviews! *chuu*
Eri-sshi: Hey there! :D I know, I love Eriol too especially his whole mysterious-ness. Lol. Don't worry, English isn't my first language too so I'm having a hard time trying to express it in English myself. Hehe. And I love Spanish! I wasn't able to push through with my Spanish lessons this summer so that crosses out my plan of making Spanish fics ;_; Thanks for your review! :D
yoorim-ah: I'm glad I got you hooked then! ^^ Sadly, I haven't been able to really write the other chapters but the ideas are there. One very good reason is because I'm having a bit of a writer's block for the pre-wedding chapters and it's hard because it hinders me from writing the ideas for the post-wedding chapters so yeah :'( And I agree, it's disheartening to read great fics but are discontinued by authors /3 Thanks for your review! :D
MarieGrace: Thank you very much! And that's great :D Belated happy birthday then! ^^
LadyMidnightGuardian, EuroCuttie, Tomo-chan, Tina and deadflo: Thank you for all your lovely reviews! I really appreciate them :D
By the way, please do check out my profile every once in a while because I'll be posting any story updates there like the one I posted recently about rewriting one of my fics to make it a bit longer :)
And another thing, I'm having a bit of a problem of writing anything before the wedding chapter and I don't really want to rush the whole story so I hope you guys be patient, alright? :D However, I am giving myself until June to finish writing the whole thing because when June comes, it's already back to college for me and I won't be having enough time to write fics as much as I want to. I can only publish already written updates when that time comes.
Love,
Claudia
P.S. I can't believe I wrote chapter 6 and chapter 7 in one day! Guess I'm that bored, huh? :))
