Hi!!! Sorry I haven't been updating much. Laziness of summer, can you blame me? No wait you can. Well this is mostly an TxE chapter. I think its needed but I have started typing the rest of the chapters. Chapter nine is finished and I will be staring chapter ten tonight. Please enjoy and review!! Oh and thanks to all my great reviewers from last chapter! Y'all are great!!
無声生命: Wolves Curse
Meetings
Tomoyo's POV
"Travelers." He repeated as if he couldn't believe what I had just told him. I nodded and smiled.
"Yes, they sort off landed in our…er..dimension." He stayed silent for a second as he stared at them.
"Let's go, these two obviously need some time alone." Kurogane said. Eriol's eyes flickered towards him and suddenly I could feel shocks of tension filling the room.
"Eriol?" He looked back at me and tried to smile.
"Love they can't be seen until we have settled matters with the Elders."
"I know…"
"Can you take them back?" He said a bit harshly. I felt a small pain at the edges of my heart. It hurt for some reason. But I tired to cover up the hurt which I knew was showing in my eyes.
"Y-Yes." I replied my voice shaking a bit but he just smile at me.
'Don't feel sad, love. I promise that when we are alone again I will finish what I started. Without any…' His eyes flickered up and I could tell he was looking at Kurogane. 'Distractions, I'm sorry if I sounded harsh I'm just a bit frustrated. Would you forgive me?' He looked back at me. His eyes sincere and loving. Though I knew he was more than just frustrated I decided to let that subject go for the time being.
So I smiled back at him and without noticing my heart jumped up to my throat it happiness.
'I will and thank you, Eriol.' He nodded and turned his attention back to the travelers.
"My…" He said a bit possessively still staring at Kurogane. Both men began to glare at each other. What was wrong with him? "Fiancée will escort you back to your rooms. Some important matter have gone wrong and I think it better you stay hidden for a bit. Please don't come out unless you are told otherwise. We can do introductions later. I'm sorry that you had to pop up at a difficult and wrong time." He said once again referring to Kurogane. We had to speak about this later.
"We can find out way back alone." Kurogane said glaring back at Eriol.
"I'm sure you can but this way is much safer." Then once again a glaring contest began. I knew I wasn't the only who sweat-dropped in that corridor.
"Eriol." I said firmly. If he ddin't get the hint to stop I had other more unpleasant methods. He was being uncharacteristically rude.
"Go."
"Ano, Daidouji-san." 'Sakura' said smiling a bit. "We can find out way back don't worry. Moko-chan can help us." I glanced at Mokona, suddenly I started to get hungry.
"Are you sure? I mean I don't mind coming with you." I actually did mind because if I went I knew I would either eat or strangle Mokona and I don't think that would be good. But she nodded and gave me a kind smile.
"We will be alright right Moko-chan?" Mokona popped out of Kurogane's hat.
"HEY YOU STEAMED PORK BUN, STOP HIDING IN MY CLOTHS!!" Kurogane shouted groping for the little thing. Mokona slipped to the floor and hid behind Fai.
"Kuro- woof-woof is scary!!" Fai and Mokona said. Kurogane twitched and his hand went to his sword. Fai started running with Mokona on his shoulder. They went down the corrdor. 'Syaoran' and 'Sakura' ran right behind them. I couldn't help but giggled. But I stopped as soon as I felt Eriol beside me. I coughed awkwardly trying to stifle my laughs.
"Why are you so tense Elli?" He gave me a dubious look and sighed.
"Tomoyo I need you to stay away from someone."
"Is it Kurogane?" I asked already knowing the answer.
"Is that his name? Well yes him."
"What is it with you and him? You just meet so why are you so mean to him?" I finally said know thourghly annoyed with this. His eyes shone with worry but I ddin't understand what he was so worried about.
"I take it back you may do as you wish. But just please be careful around him. They are staying for a long time and I don't want you to get hurt." Unconsciously I lifted my hand to my forehead.
"G-Get hurt? Elli I don't understand."
"It's alright you will soon. Let's go we are late for dinner." I placed an arm around my waist pulling me along.
"I can be there?" He smiled.
"No and neither can Syaoran's sisters or mother." I looked at him in confusion.
"So why are you taking me?" He winked.
"It's time for things to change around here."
Dinner
I held onto Eriol's hand as if my life depended on it. I was scared, wait not scared, I was absolutely terrified.
"Calm down, love." Eriol said gripping my hand as we walked into an extravagant dinning area.
A long table was in the center and chairs lined the sides of it. A chandelier hung and the crystals shimmered on the wooden floor. It was like something out of a fairy tale. Sakura would have loved this. The only thing wrong was that five mysterious hooded figures sat in the first few chairs.
"Eriol who are they?" I asked my voice not above a whisper.
"The Elders." The first of the five stood up an aura of rage around him.
"This wench must leave! It is a dinner fit for men only." He shouted.
"Who do you think you are?!" I shouted back my own anger spiked. "Take that back you masochistic jerk!" The man suddenly started coming towards me. Then I realized I should have kept my mouth shut but there was no way in heaven or hell that a man was going to be sexist with me. I am so not the woman to do that crap with.
"Hold your peace Elder." He stopped and I could feel the glare he gave him.
Eriol tugged me to the table and pulled out a chair for me. I sat down and he pushed it in. I smiled at him. He stroked my hair and placed a kiss on my lips.
"I'll be back." He nodded and looked back at the Elders. With a murderous glare at them he swiftly walked out of the room.
"I want to know what Clow is thinking!" Bellowed the second elder.
"Patients, he will soon make his plan known. Clow is unpredictable." I was getting annoyed with them calling Eriol, Clow.
"Clow has always-" I finally got fed up.
"His name is Eriol!! Hiragizawa Eriol! Not Clow he's only the reincarnation not him!!" They stared at me, well I think they did I could feel their eyes on me.
"Are you in denial women?" I frowned.
"No I am not. Stop talking about him like he was Clow Reed." I stated angrily.
"Are you afraid?" The first Elder asked coming towards me. He reached out to touch my face and I flinched away. He looked like the freaking grim reaper. "Afraid of your lover not being who he says he is. Him lying to you all these years."
What was happening to me? I was suddenly really scared that was the truth. My heart started to race and tears pricked my eyes. My head was getting clouded. It was like everything logical just stopped being logical. A black thick curtain had just been pulled over me. I was about to go into a hysteria.
"No." I said sternly with my teeth clenched..
"You are afraid." Somehow I could see the smirk under his hood.
"No!" I said once again. He was about to tell me something else when I heard the door slide open.
"Well gentlemen I hop-" Eriol stopped mid word.
I knew he could feel something wrong with me. His foot steps were quick and heavy as he came behind me. He put his hands on my shoulders and squeezed gently. That was all the touch needed between us for me to know he wanted to hold me in his arms and calm me down just like I wanted to melt and be comforted in them.
"Is something wrong love?" He asked but I just shook my head.
"No, everything is fine." I reassured him. There was no way any of those Elders would get the satisfaction of unnerving me. When I glanced up the worry that showed in his body language was present in his eyes.
'We will talk later, I promise.' I nodded then he turned away and I looked down at my empty plate strangely ashamed of hiding more than needed to be from him.
I wasn't afraid. I can't be over something so foolish as that. Eriol was Eriol and nothing could change my mind. Nothing except Eriol himself. Oh, great now I'm talking like I'm crazy.
"As I was saying I have invited Syaoran's sisters." The four older women all sat down to the left of me. "And of course…"
A beautiful Chinese woman sat down at the head of the table. Her face was pale but fixed to perfection. Her lips were slim and a rose red. She had her hair pulled up in a neat pony tail held at the center of her head. Chinese garments of royalty and prestige adorned her body. She was slim and her face showed no emotion but of plain and utter strictness. Beautiful yet frightening, that is an interesting combination.
"Syaoran's mother, Li Yelen." She smiled and nodded to Eriol.
"Thank you Clow." He shook his head to my relief.
"With all due respect Li-sama my name is Hiragizawa Eriol."
"My apologies Eriol-san." Her eyes came upon me and all I could do was smile a bit awkwardly.
"And who is this?" I couldn't find my voice still shaken by the women's beauty. Eriol took my hand and helped me stand up.
"This is my fiancée, Daidouji Tomoyo." The woman's eyes widened slightly and her smile became more warm and inviting.
"A wife." She said. I blushed and tried not to look at the amused twinkle that had lit in her eyes.
"Fiancée." I corrected quietly.
"A fiancée and a fine one at that. You are so beautiful and I see very capable." I could feel my blush darken. But Eriol squeezed my hand smiling proudly. "My youngest daughter ling loves the toys you mother creates. She is completely taken by them." I sat back down and Eriol still smiling like a fool did the same.
"Thank you Li-sama. My mother will be happy to hear that."
"Sorry to interrupt this…heart warming conversation but I want to know what six blasted women are doing seated at our dinner." The last Elder spoke. My blood began to boil as he referred to us as inferior beings. I was about to say something but Eriol beat me to it.
"Yes, about that." He dead-panned. I suddenly had the urge to laugh. "This Clan has fallen into a sickening state. Clow did not want it to be like this but sadly it is. I cam to make a few adjustments." He looked everyone of the Elders in the eyes.
"ADJUSTMENTS!? WHO-" It was the third. Apparently this one had a very short fuse.
"I know who I am. It is you who do not know your place!" Eriol retorted in a deathly silent tone while picking up his butter knife. He was livid and with a knife in his hands I knew how terrifying he could be. The third Elder grumbled but stayed quite.
"Eriol calm down." I whispered. He look at me and I knew he could sense my fear.
"I'm sorry. I'm scaring you aren't I?" I didn't answer him. Instead I put all my emotions through my eyes so he could feel it. "I see, I'm sorry." He squeezed my hand gently and I smiled. I was at least satisfied that he stopped holding that knife. "Yes, adjustments but I will not make all of them. Most of them will be made by someone who was close to the former leader of the Clan. Li Yelen from now on will have full authority over this clan."
I stared at Eriol in disbelief then my eyes settled on Yelen. She was staring at Eriol too. Her eyes wider than I thought they could go.
"You have no authority!" It was the third again.
"Actually I do. Clow Reed was in charge of this Clan and as his reincarnation so am I. What Yelen says is final as well as her children when they consult and get permission of her." Then Yelen broke into a smile.
"Well then as my first order of business. All of you Elders are stripped from your titles. There will no longer be a counsel of you." They stayed quite. "But you shall be treated as distant family. Your titles are gone but I am not allowing your honor to fade. You will become teachers of the servants."
She was very merciful to them though I imagine they must have done horrible things to her family. We all are and a feel of victory surrounded us. After we are everyone was excuse from the table to go about our business. When me and Eriol got to our room we didn't say a word to each other. We just got ready to go to bed. When I finished my shower I put on my purple silk night gown. It was my favorite because one Eriol had given it to me for my birthday and two, because purple was my favorite color. The gown was not transparent just a solid lilac color. It had frills on the hems and a bow a the center of my back. Everything on the gown was perfect for me! With two laces of purple I put two pigtails in my hair like I usually did. When I finished and came to the room Eriol was seated on my side and a smile was on his lips. He patted the empty space beside him. I was actually hoping he would be asleep.
"Come love, I promised you we would have a chance to speak." I huffed and sat beside him sitting cross legged.
"Stop talking so formally Elli." He chuckled.
"Is that what you're so scared about, me speaking formally?"
"Well no not really but-" Then I realized I had just fallen into his trap. The little weasel! "Elli you tricked me!!"
"Would you've told me otherwise?" I looked down at the wooden floor.
"No." I whispered softly. "But its not important! Its stupid so you don't have to worry." Said trying to get under the covers. I was successful but the only set back was that Eriol was under with me. He turned me around holding my torso firmly so I couldn't escape. I knew him better than that, He would never let this topic go because it concerned my unhappiness.
"Tomoyo..." He whispered into my ear. The way we were positioned we could stare at each other for hours but I refused to look at him. "Your fears are not stupid to me, you know that. Please, love." He sounded so desperate. It almost broke my heart.
"Its not important." I repeated trying hard not to let the feel of his muscled arms so close to my chest distract me.
"Then why are you hiding it?" I sighed.
"Alright fine, I'll tell you."
He waited patiently while I tried to gather my words to tell him this stupid fear that had grown remarkably inside of me. It didn't help one bit that he stoked my hair and kissed my nose telling me everything would be alright. I also caught him saying something about not wanting to sleep tonight but I dismissed that completely from my thoughts.
"I-Its just…everyone is always referring to you as Clow. Always saying you're Clow, Clow this, Clow that…its just so frustrating!!"
"Go on." He whispered huskily in my ear. I could feel his lips grazing them. I shivered.
"Then recently this stupid notion come into my mind…'Maybe he is Clow…m-maybe…'"
"Maybe Clow won't love you as I do." That same confusion came to me, accompanied this time with a pain in my chest.
"I know its foolish but I…"
Eriol's POV
My heart clenched as tears began to slowly streak her beautiful pale cheeks. Even under the covers I could see her so clearly but it hurt to do so. It hurt because of the state of doubt and fear she was in. A state that had never came upon her since we had defeated Hu Keiichi. I, myself was scared because she was so saddened. I never liked to even see a trace of that emotion in her amethyst orbs. Yet they were there and it felt like I could do nothing to heal the wounds that had now opened.
"I-It's stupid…" She repeated to herself. My heart became as saddened as she was. Did she doubt my love for her this much?
"Love…" She met my eyes and I held her closer on reflex.
"I'm s-sorry Elli, this is so stupid of me! I know who you are and I know you love me! I shouldn't be doubting you like this." I stroked her hair gently.
"If you're so sure they why are you so afraid?" It wasn't making much sense to me. Never had she voice such concerns to me in the past. I know she would have just to get it out there and not make any fights come in the future. But I couldn't understand how or rather when this fear had originated.
"That's what I don't understand! I was fine. Those damned Elders kept calling you Clow and that set me off! I told them your name was Eriol when the first of the Elders started putting it in my head that I was afraid. But I never was, not like this, never like this." My eyes winded in realization. It was so obvious!
"Tomoyo, who was it that began to say you were afraid?" She sniffed, her hands clenching my shirt.
"The first Elder."
At first I smiled but that soon became a scowl. They played with her mind! He played with her mind! So help me I would kill him if I ever got that chance. The first Elder worse than bitter towards Clow Reed than any of them. It made sense that he would target his reincarnations fiancée. But he had gone too far. If he wanted to make me miserable he had done a terrible job. Now I am livid. If he ever came towards me in broad daylight it will be the last anyone sees of him.
The first Elder of course is the oldest and most experienced. He had an unusual power that instilled fear in his opponents heart in a matter of seconds. He looked through their minds to uncover hidden secrets, dormant fears that would never really surface. But he made them surface and it caused his victim to go into a frenzy trying to figure out the pain and fear they felt. That same fear would incase his opponents heart and slowly but painfully kill them. He had tried to kill someone dear to me. This would not go unpunished. But for the sake of Tomoyo I smiled and made it seem that everything was okay. It soon would be.
"You were never afraid." I whispered pulling her away at arms length. She looked up at me her amethyst eyes wide.
"W-What do you mean?" I whipped away a tear that was beginning to form at the edge of her eye. My smile never wavering.
"The first Elder has a special ability. He can locate a dormant worry inside of you and slowly make it your worse fear." Purposefully I left out the part of being suffocated by your own heart.
"He manipulated me?" I nodded. Her face beamed into a smile.
"Yes and because you are not strong in attack or defensive magic you would have never noticed. The cure for it is to make it known and accept it. This way the worry become dormant again."
"So I'm not afraid!?" She asked pressing close to me. I smelled her hair. She pushed up top me rubbing her nose on my pulse. This women would kill me.
"No love, you never were."
"Thank you Elli!! Thank you!" I laughed momentarily forgetting the hatred building inside of me.
"You scared me for a minute but now I just have to you keep away from them." I said tugging off the ribbon on her back.
"Its alright." She whispered close to my ear. Was she trying to seduce me? Damn it, it was working. I wondered if she was talking about the Elders. "Everything will be alright." I tugged off the sleeve of her gown kissing her pale skin.
"Yes it will be, in both cases."
